Rebuilding WaterClan
by RestlessHamster
Summary: When a wolf cub's Clan is massacred, he must rebuild it. As he struggles to do so, the evil Snowstar grows in strength. Soon things are falling apart and through all this, a secret is revealed that threatens to destroy the Clan once and for all. Can the wolf strengthen his Clan before Snowstar attacks? And can he survive sickness, a mountain lion that won't go away, and much more?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Prologue of the new fanfic, Rebuilding WaterClan! Just to clear some things up, this is just basically saying the four Clans (which are different here) and wolves and lions and things like that. You don't have to read it, but I would. The next chapters will be longer!**

 **Please Read and Review!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

The four warrior Clans of wolves inhabited the northwest region of North America: SnowClan, FrostClan, ThornClan, and WaterClan. Each Clan had a leader, a deputy, a medicine wolf, warriors, apprentices, cubs, queens, and elders.

The leader led the Clan, and had a close connection with MoonClan, the Clan of the fallen wolves and lions. Once upon a time, the wolves and lions lived in the same Clans, but the lions died out. The fallen lions lived in MoonClan with the wolves.

MoonClan could transmit messages or prophecies by way of dreams, especially to the medicine wolves. Each half-moon, the medicine wolves would travel to the Starpool high in the mountains, where they would drink of it and be given a dream from MoonClan.

The deputy was a warrior, who would succeed the leader when he/she died. Deputies also helped to run the camp, such as organizing patrols. In order to be a deputy, a wolf must be a warrior and have had one apprentice. Apprentices were the young wolves that were trained by the warriors once they became six moons old. They were trained for battle and hunting; if the apprentice was to be a medicine wolf, they would learn how to heal with herbs, and would gain a close relationship with MoonClan.

Queens were the she-wolves who provided the Clan with new cubs. The warriors and apprentices were to feed the queens and cubs first.

Elders were the retired warriors. They told stories and legends of the past to the cubs; elders were also honored by the rest of the clan, especially the apprentices, because they cleaned the elders' fur of ticks.

The Clans were natural rivals, but they had a warrior code that must be followed. Their warrior code was for the good of the Clans, and preserved them for many, many generations.

However, there was also a time of fellowship for the clans, which occurred every full moon, called a Howl Time. At each Howl Time, certain wolves that were apprentices, warriors, or elders of every Clan would come together at the base of an enormous mountain, where four large rocks surrounded a clearing, with a ledge for the leaders to stand on. The leaders, one by one, would tell the other Clans general information about their own Clan. When the Howl Time ended, each wolf would raise its voice and howl to the moon in respect for the fallen wolves.

Howl Times were times of peace, and no fighting was allowed. If a fight began, clouds would block the moon from view, a sure sign that MoonClan was angry.

The Clans endured for many generations, with many wolves to come and go. However, this is the story of an extraordinary era that took place, about two lions and a wolf that were different from all others….


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 | Battle**

It was sunhigh in WaterClan. Lightningcub happily ate a mouse, feeling as though the world was perfect. He dashed back into the nursery and blinked up at his mother, Quailfur. "Quailfuh!" he said, adorably getting her name wrong. "Tell me a story!"

Quailfur laughed gently. "Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, lions lived in WaterClan with the wolves."

"What are lions?" Lightningcub asked curiously.

"Lions are big cats. They're like wolves but they are related to cats more than wolves. Anyways, the lions disappeared from a mysterious sickness. They still live today, but not here. They live in a hot place far away from here, past the sun-drown-place.

"The dead lions still live in MoonClan with the wolves today. But recently, your father Stormstar went into Twolegplace."

"I know!" squealed Lightningcub, delighted that he knew something.

Quailfur laughed and went on. "The Twolegs have captured a lion-"

Screams echoed from the clearing. Quailfur froze, her fur spiking up.

"What's wrong?" Lightningcub asked.

"Nothing- Lightningcub, stay here and do not come out." She raced out into the clearing. Lightningcub huddled down into his nest.

Despite his mother's warning, though, his curiosity got the better of him. Lightningcub peeked outside to a sight he would never forget: a massacre. Huge, foreign wolves fought his mother and the rest of WaterClan. Heart pounding, Lightningcub watched as she fell. She didn't get back up again.

Lightningcub bit down his scream of horror. He didn't want the invaders to get him too.

Soon the camp was leveled. Lightningcub hid in a bush so the attackers wouldn't get him. His parents were gone and his world was falling apart. The only thing left for him was revenge. Revenge and duty. He needed to somehow build his Clan and get revenge on the attackers. He didn't care how he did it; the only certainty in his life was that he was going to make the attackers regret their actions.

"I'm sick and tired of this zoo. I want to be wild and free, hunting mice and rabbits, don't you, Swiftbreeze?" Yellowtail muttered to Swiftbreeze, her friend.

"Of course I do, Yellowtail. Every night I dream of escape," Swiftbreeze responded. Swiftbreeze and Yellowfang were captive lions in a zoo. They were best friends, the only ones to look out for each other. Yellowtail was a great hunter, and Swiftbreeze had great healing skills.

"Maybe we can escape," suggested Yellowtail.

"Escape?" snorted Swiftbreeze. "And how do we escape, exactly? There are walls and guards everywhere."

"Well, when the feeder opens the door to feed us, we could escape."

"True… but where would we go? We have nobody but each other," said Swiftbreeze.

Yellowtail pondered this question in her head. She hadn't exactly thought about that.

Swiftbreeze wasn't concerning herself with this problem. She had a matter-of-fact way of thinking, and she knew escape would be impossible. "Look, there's no way out. We can't escape from here," she said reasonably.

Yellowtail was hurt by Swiftbreeze's lack of faith. As she curled up in her nest that night, she couldn't help thinking of ways to escape. It was her dream to see the wild, to be in the wild, to be a part of the wild. She stalked over to the pond to get a drink, and looked at her reflection. In the background she saw the mountains. Oh, if only she could go to the mountains… the mountains! That's where they could go!

As Yellowtail dipped her head to take a drink, she tripped over a stone and fell into the pond. She struggled to get out, but her head was stuck under something. No matter how much she pulled her head, she couldn't escape the thing that she was stuck under. Her head was beginning to feel woozy, her eyes closed, and she knew I'm dying. Now I will never escape…

Suddenly, Yellowtail felt fresh air on her face. She could breath! Standing beside her was Swiftbreeze, who furiously began pumping her chest to clear it of water.

Yellowtail began to say "Thank you", but Swiftbreeze demanded, "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Yellowtail responded, "My head got stuck under something… that, I think, right there." She pointed with her tail to a pipe, which let water into the pond.

"That?" asked Swiftbreeze, puzzled.

"Yeah, that." Yellowtail looked at the pipe, then at the mountains. "I wonder where the pipe leads to…" she began to say.

"What are you talking about? Where would the pipe go?" interrupted Swiftbreeze.

Yellowtail looked again at the pipe, and said, "Maybe we could swim through the pipe and escape-"

"What?!" spluttered Swiftbreeze. "Are you trying to tell me… wait a second, that is a possibility..." Swiftbreeze studied the pipe and exclaimed, "Yellowtail, you're a genius! We could swim through the pipe and find an opening to get out!"

Yellowtail looked modestly down at her paws, and said, "Well, should we try it?" However, her excitement grew, and without waiting for an answer, jumped into the pond and swam through the pipe. Her head didn't reappear.

Swiftbreeze was starting to get worried when her friend didn't come back. She too splashed into the cool water and swam through the pipe.

Swiftbreeze was quickly swept away by the current. Thoughts of panic entered her mind, but she banished them and focused on finding Yellowtail. After a while, she was sure that Yellowtail wasn't in the main pipe; maybe she'd gone down one of the branching pipes. Then she saw Yellowtail's fluffy golden tail bobbing in the water.

Adjusting her eyes, she could see that Yellowtail was desperately trying to keep her head above the water and was trying to float. Swiftbreeze paddled up to her and gasped, "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

They both swam on and finally the water level started to drop and the waves became less violent. Eventually, after more swimming, Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze came to the end of the pipe and found themselves in a small reservoir in the mountains.

"Thank goodness we survived that!" gasped Yellowtail.

"Yeah," breathed Swiftbreeze. "I thought I had lost you for a second."

"Well, at least we're here together and safe," sighed Yellowtail.

The two lions rested their heads together and watched the sunset dapple the beautiful reservoir. Swiftbreeze broke the silence first. "So... are we staying here, or finding somewhere else? I don't know about you, but the mountains are too... rocky for me."

Yellowtail cocked her head thoughtfully. "Why don't we stay here, and explore, and later we can decide whether we want to stay?" Swiftbreeze agreed with this idea, so the two lions settled down under a little overhang next to the reservoir.

That night in MoonClan, Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze's warrior ancestors were in turmoil. You see, Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze's ancestors were acquainted with the wolf clans, but had not interacted with them for hundreds of generations. Once upon a time, they had worked together in the same clans, and the lions and wolves shared MoonClan.

And right then, MoonClan had an argument (a short one, of course).

"Come on!" whined Cloverpaw, who was Swiftbreeze's cousin's sister. "Just show MoonClan to Swiftbreeze already! She's got medicine lion skills, she needs to communicate with MoonClan!"

"But the poor lion will die of shock before she can put her skills to use," countered Elkstar, the former leader of WaterClan. "We need her at full capacity, and Yellowtail doesn't know which herb will cure shock... what is it again?"

"Thyme," responded Oakfur, an ancient medicine wolf who was nearly transparent. Shifting to an arguing tone of voice, he snapped, "If Swiftbreeze is to join WaterClan, then she'll need the guidance of MoonClan!"

Just then, Mousepaw, Cloverpaw's sister, dashed up. "Stop arguing! FrostClan has launched an ambush against WaterClan, and it looks like a massacre! FrostClan has never liked the warrior code, but this is murder, unprecedented, unfair, caught WaterClan off guard, we've got to do something-" Mousepaw stopped talking as MoonClan raced to see the battle with mounting horror. "Now," Mousepaw completed sulkily, and stomped off to see the battle in his own little place.

On the edge of MoonClan, WaterClan's ancestors looked down at the battle with horror. Only one sturdy little wolf cub had survived, and was growling slightly in a bush. No one noticed the cub as they celebrated their victory.

"Look at them," whispered Elkstar with disgust. "They enjoy this."

"It's disgusting, I know," muttered Oakfur, "but what's that cub's name? He could be the only chance at bringing WaterClan back."

Cloverpaw combed through her memory. "Lightningcub, I believe."

"Lightningcub," murmured Graypelt, an old elder. "Good. Strong name. All our hopes ride on you, little cub."

"Well," said Cloverpaw briskly, "it's settled, then. We'll show ourselves to Swiftbreeze to guide her to WaterClan. A good medicine lion that's established well with MoonClan will definitely help WaterClan. The other lion, Yellowtail, is welcome to come as well."

"How is she going to explain that she knows the way to Yellowtail?" countered Elkstar.

"We will send a dream also to Yellowtail, telling her to trust and protect Swiftbreeze and obey her," replied Oakfur.

"But..." muttered Elkstar, then she realized the wisdom of their decision. "Fine. But one more thing. WaterClan needs a strong warrior in Lightningcub. Yellowtail is a fine hunter, but she is not that great at fighting skills. We need a suitable mentor for Lightningcub."

"You seem to forget, Elkstar, that Lightningcub's father was a fighter wolf, and his mother had the best known hunting skills. Lightningcub, of course, has inherited these skills. However, because he is so young, we can multiply his skills so that his strength, size, and abilities are greater than that of his parents' so WaterClan will survive," reminded Stormfur, a sturdy-looking lion.

"That does seem like a good idea," admitted Elkstar. "This cub does seem a bit out of the ordinary, and his heritage should not be forgotten."

"Of course," purred Cloverpaw. "Can I visit Swiftbreeze now?"

"No," Stormfur chided gently. "We should present her with the full glory of former WaterClan so she'll know the great power of her Clan."

"All in favor?" roared Elkstar. Every single wolf and lion in the clearing howled in agreement.

Swiftbreeze snored lightly under the overhang. Yellowtail slept deeply behind her. Cloverpaw padded quietly up to Swiftbreeze, and prodded her softly. "Wake up," Cloverpaw hissed. "This is important." Mistaking Cloverpaw for Yellowtail, Swiftbreeze sprang up. "What is it? What happened?" Then she noticed Cloverpaw and her tone changed to distrust. "Who are you?" Swiftbreeze asked suspiciously.

"I am Cloverpaw, bringing an important message from MoonClan, the Clan of your ancestors," replied Cloverpaw. "The Clan from which you have descended from, WaterClan, has been destroyed by FrostClan. Only one special wolf cub, 5 moons old, has survived. You must travel through the mountains to WaterClan and stay with the cub, whose name is Lightningcub. He alone, with the help of Yellowtail and yourself, can restore WaterClan. Please," she pleaded, "you must help." She gazed pleadingly up into the eyes of Swiftbreeze, who was gaping in awe at the figure before her.

"Wow," Swiftbreeze breathed, "are you really from MoonClan?''

"I am," responded Cloverpaw, "and we desperately need your help. You need to raise Lightningcub, with the help of Yellowtail."

Swiftbreeze gave herself a shake, and firmly answered, "I will." And with that, Cloverpaw faded away.

Yellowtail rose to her paws, and exclaimed to Swiftbreeze, "The most awesome thing just happened! A lion from MoonClan, named Stormfur, came to me and told me that we're supposed to go to WaterClan and help raise a cub named Lightningcub, and that I must obey you and do whatever you ask!"

Swiftbreeze stared at Yellowtail and said, "Really? I had a dream too! I don't feel tired anymore, let's go find Lightningcub!"

And with that, the two lions bounded up the mountain and started the long journey toward WaterClan and Lightningcub.

By sunhigh, both lions were exhausted. All they'd eaten were a mouse each before their journey. But WaterClan lay just beyond the last, small hill that stood between the lions and the WaterClan camp and Lightningcub. With her last bit of energy, Yellowtail snagged a rabbit running through the forest, while Swiftbreeze carefully picked marigold, oak leaf, and horsetail to fight infection in a small cut she'd gotten.

The lions shared Yellowtail's rabbit, feeling the strength return to their limbs. Swiftbreeze applied the poultice of herbs to her cut and to Yellowtail's scraped paw, just in case.

"We're almost there, can you believe it?!" exclaimed Swiftbreeze.

"I know, I'm so nervous and excited. I can't wait to meet the cub, and WaterClan!" replied Yellowtail. "I just hope Lightningcub likes us."

"Me too," responded Swiftbreeze, "I do too."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 | Apprentice**

Lightningcub stalked through the bushes in search of prey. He was hungry and exhausted from fear and lack of food.

Suddenly, he picked up a warm scent from under a nearby bush. He crouched into a hunting position his mother had shown him. Lightningcub could clearly see the large, fat quail leisurely eating a worm. He pounced onto it and cleanly killed it. The warm flesh of the bird was satisfying, awakening his hunger for more.

As Lightningcub crept through the lonely, silent forest, a strange scent filled his nostrils. Instinctively, he crouched into a defensive move his father had shown him, ready to run or fight. What he saw surprised him.

Two she-lions walked through the bush together, as though to be searching for something that was not prey. "I think we're close, Yellowtail," said the lean, black-furred lion.

"Yeah, I think you're right, Swiftbreeze," responded the yellow, lithe lion, "and now we just have to find that cub."

Cub?, wondered Lightningcub. They might mean me, because I know I'm the only survivor of WaterClan…. I hope they don't have bad intentions.

Yellowtail muttered, "Wait. I smell something."

Swiftbreeze sniffed the air. "You're right. It smells… it smells like blood." The two lions started padding more cautiously, and then they pushed their way into a small clearing.

There was WaterClan-smelling scent everywhere, and a bit of blood, but nothing to indicate that FrostClan had ever been there. However, Yellowtail detected a slight movement in the bush behind her. She stalked over to it and sniffed it cautiously. It was bathed in cub-scent. Wolf-cub scent.

Lightningcub was furious that two lions were trespassing on his territory, as though they owned it. With a snarl and a leap, he was on Yellowtail and forcing her to the ground. Then, he bounded up onto Swiftbreeze's back and tackled her too, all in one swift, smooth movement. "What do you think you're doing, trespassing in my territory?" he growled. "Get out by sunset, or you'll be sorry."

Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze just gaped up at this enormous, bristling, young wolf cub who was bravely defending his Clan's territory. He was huge, almost as big as them!

Swiftbreeze was the first to speak. "Are- are you- Lightningcub?" she stammered.

Lightningcub snarled back, "Why should I tell you? Why do you wish to know?"

Yellowtail spoke this time. "We were sent by Moonclan to find a cub named Lightningcub and raise him so that he would restore Waterclan. Are you he?" she inquired politely.

Lightningcub pondered on that for a moment, then growled again, "I don't need your help. I can take care of myself. Now get of my territory!" He lunged at the two lions and snapped at them, sending them fleeing away.

Pleased with himself, Lightningcub gave himself a brief grooming and murmured, "I bet Father would be proud of me. I just defended Waterclan!" He then stalked off back to the camp, and fell fast asleep.

Beyond the borders of Waterclan, Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze were also sleeping, when two Moonclan wolves prodded them awake. They jumped in surprise. The two lions had not yet seen wolves from Moonclan. "Do not be afraid," said the large male in a deep, kind voice. "My name is Stormstar, former leader of Waterclan, and this is my mate, Quailfur." Quailfur dipped her head in greeting.

"I apologize about our son, Lightningcub," continued Stormstar. "I taught him that he must always defend his territory, whether it be with words, claws, or fangs. It seems as though he did quite a good job of it," he chuckled softly.

Swiftbreeze was the first to speak. "He was so scary! That cub can fight like a full-grown lion, and he is almost as big as me and Yellowtail!" Yellowtail nodded her head in agreement.

"But Lightningcub also has a good heart. He is not a vicious cub who attacks everybody; he was only defending what belongs to him. You must go back to Lightningcub. Do not be afraid of him; we will visit him also."

And with those last few words, the two Moonclan warriors faded away into the dark night.

"Lightningcub, wake up." Stormstar prodded Lightningcub awake. "Come on, Son, wake up."

Lightningcub awoke with a start and instinctively snarled and prepared to defend himself, but when he saw that it was his beloved father and mother, he relaxed. Then he leaped onto them, yelping in happiness. "Father! Mother!" he cried, burying his nose deep in their fur. "I thought you left me forever!" Stormstar and Quailfur gently nuzzled their son.

"We are warriors of Moonclan now, Lightningcub. We will always watch over you," said Quailfur.

"I saw how you defended Waterclan today," growled Stormstar proudly. "Those were some great moves. Your mother and I are so proud of you."

"However," Quailfur continued, "those lions were trying to help you. Lightningcub, with the help of those lions, you will restore Waterclan."

"Exactly," agreed Stormstar. "Those lions will be coming back tomorrow, and DO NOT ATTACK THEM. They will help you."

"Lions?!" Lightningcub asked in surprise. "Why not wolves?''

"Because we have chosen those lions to help restore Waterclan. They are direct descendants, you know," replied Quailfur. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. If you can survive on your own in the forest, then you can certainly handle living with the two she-lions."

"That's right," agreed Stormstar. "And if they give you any problems, you could defend yourself anyway. You're nearly as big as them!"

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," continued Quailfur; "Because you will be restoring Waterclan on your own (besides the lions) Moonclan has made you stronger, larger, and with keener sense than an average wolf-"

"What?!" spluttered Lightningcub in shock; "you mean I'm some sort of… of…" He tried to think of a word along the lines of unnatural mutant.

"No, Lightningcub, it's not like that at all," Stormstar sighed; "It's for your own good, and for the good of your clan. Really, Son, it's nothing to worry about. Consider it a blessing from Moonclan."

"All right," agreed Lightningcub, "I'll do the best that I can."

"Just remember that your father and I will always be watching over you," said Quailfur gently. Then, she said sadly, "It's time for us to return to Moonclan."

"Goodbye, Lightningcub," murmured Stormstar. "I could not be more proud of you." He licked Lightningcub affectionately on the cheek, and then he and Quailfur faded away, returning to Moonclan.

"No, wait! Come back!" howled Lightningcub, "please come back!" He howled his sadness to the stars and the moon. But his mother's words came back to him, bringing the cub comfort- " 'Just remember that your father and I will always be watching over you.' ''

The next morning, as Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail neared the Waterclan border, they spotted Lightningcub waiting for them. They took in his features: the ice-blue eyes, broad shoulders, massive paws, sharp claws and teeth, bushy tail, strong hind legs, thick neck fur, and his well-groomed, bluish-brown pelt, with a thin, jagged streak of gold resembling lightning running down his back. He was a truly amazing sight to behold.

"Wow," breathed Yellowtail in awe, "that is some cub."

"Yeah," agreed Swiftbreeze, "really."

Lightningcub walked up to them and said in an almost friendly tone, "Hello, I'm Lightningcub. You must be the lions my father Stormstar told me about."

The two lionesses were speechless until Swiftbreeze broke the silence; "Yeah, we're the ones. I'm Swiftbreeze, and this is my best friend Yellowtail," she replied, flicking her tail at Yellowtail, who nodded cautiously, still wary of this cub who had so ferociously attacked them the day before.

Lightningcub, sensing their wariness, assured them, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I'm a nice wolf, really." Then he paused, and went on; "Sorry about yesterday. I was just trying to defend my territory, and I didn't know that you two were trying to help me." He looked down at his paws sheepishly (just like a foolish cub, Swiftbreeze thought).

"It's all right," Yellowtail told him hesitantly. "So... what now?"

"I had a dream," Lightningcub confessed, "about you two. Two warriors from MoonClan visited me. My parents, actually."

"Really," Yellowtail mused. "I had a dream like that."

"So did I," agreed Swiftbreeze. "So we're supposed to rebuild WaterClan?"

"Yes!" cried Lightningcub. "We've got to save my Clan, whatever it takes."

"How are we going to do that?" wondered Yellowtail to herself.

By sunhigh, Lightningcub was concluding his brief tour of the Waterclan camp and territory. "And this is the fresh-kill pile," he said. "It's empty now, but I haven't been using it, but I can hunt, I really can!" He was jumping on his paws in excitement.

"I'm sure you can," purred Swiftbreeze enthusiastically.

"I love hunting," said Yellowtail happily, "let's go right now!"

"Well, we should first set up our dens. Should we sleep together, or should we sleep in separate dens, like a real Clan?" Swiftbreeze, as always, was quick to get right down to business in a prompt manner.

"Well, I'm used to sleeping by myself," admitted Lightningcub, "and I would prefer to keep it that way. That's my den, up there." He pointed to a cave high above the others, near the top of the ravine in which the WaterClan camp was. It was partially hidden, for it was behind the waterfall that fed a small pond in the camp. "I'm really the only one who can jump up here, so I'll be safe from predators. Also, I can keep watch over the camp." He did not mention that it was the leader's den.

The two lions were astounded at the height of the cave. "Wow," breathed Yellowtail, "you can actually jump up to there?" The cave was about thirteen tail-lengths off of the ground.

"Yeah, it's pretty simple," said Lightningcub modestly. "I just jump off of that boulder, to that one, and then jump to the cave from there. Here, I'll show you.'' He nimbly leaped from boulder to boulder until he reached the cave. Then, he walked through the waterfall, and poked his head out of the opening. "See, it's not too hard."

"It must be because of those powerful hindlegs," commented Swiftbreeze admiringly.

"Oh, probably," replied Lightningcub. Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Where are you two going to sleep?"

"Well, Yellowtail should probably sleep in the warriors' den, and I'll sleep in the medicine wolf's den," said Swiftbreeze. "If we're going to be a Clan, we'd better start acting like one."

"I agree," replied Yellowtail.

"Actually," countered Swiftbreeze, looking at Lightningcub, "you ought to sleep in the nursery. You are still a cub, you know."

Lightningcub was shocked. "I'm five moons old! I can hunt for myself and fight like a full-grown wolf! And-"

"Lightningcub!" growled Swiftbreeze sternly. "If we are going to be a real Clan, you should sleep in the nursery, then the apprentices' den, and then-"

"Fine. I'll sleep in the nursery. But you can't treat me like a cub." Lightningcub was bristling in fury as he spoke, but held his ground. "In fact, I am about six moons old, ready to be apprenticed." He stared pointedly at Swiftbreeze.

At just that moment, Stormstar appeared in the middle of the camp and bounded up to the Highrock. "Let all wolves and lions old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting!" he howled. Then he leaped down to the ground and looked pointedly at Lightningcub. Around them, MoonClan warriors began to appear.

Lightningcub, Swiftbreeze, and Yellowtail gasped in surprise. "Stormstar?!" they all asked in surprise.

Stormstar dipped his head, then motioned to Lightningcub. Beaming, he said, "Lightningcub, please come here." Lightningcub stepped forward.

"From this day forward until you receive your warrior name, you will be Lightningpaw." Lightningpaw's eyes sparkled as he gazed up at his father.

"Sparrowstar," Stormstar called.

The pale gray she-cat lifted her head. She was a bright MoonClan warrior, and was the leader of WaterClan before Stormstar. Her eyes brightened and her excitement showed in the tiny twitch of her tail as she stepped forward.

"You shall be Lightningpaw's mentor."

Lightningpaw touched noses with Sparrowstar as the MoonClan warriors cheered. "Lightningpaw! Lightningpaw!"

Lightningpaw's eyes shone. He went up to his father and pressed his muzzle to his cheek. "Thank you so much," he whispered. Stormstar bent down and licked his son.

"You're welcome," he murmured. Quailfur padded to Lightningpaw. She nuzzled his head lovingly.

"Your father and I will always watch over you and love you, Lightningpaw" she said. Then, she and Stormstar began to fade away, returning to the stars.

Sparrowstar was the only MoonClan warrior remaining. She trotted over to Lightningpaw and said, "Well, do you want to start training, young Lightningpaw?" Lightningpaw nodded in agreement and bounced on his paws in anticipation.

"What are we going to do first?" he yelped excitedly. "Hunting, battle training?"

Sparrowstar shook her broad head. "No, we are going to collect moss for the medicine lion and our dens." When Lightningpaw looked disappointed, she reassured him, "Don't worry, we'll do those things later.'' She then looked over to Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze. "You two can go and hunt or collect herbs. Lightningpaw and I will also do a border patrol." At this last statement, Lightningpaw perked up. The two lions obeyed and set off into the woods.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 | First Fight**

"You won't believe what I did today!" Lightningpaw exclaimed. "Sparrowstar and I explored all over the territory!"

It was twilight, and the two lions and Lightningpaw were sharing tongues and eating fresh-kill that Yellowtail had caught. "Where is Sparrowstar, anyway?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"She went back to MoonClan," Lightningpaw replied. "But she showed me how to get great moss. I bet that your nests are the most comfortable they can be!"

"I'll bet they are," Yellowtail laughed. "Did you start on hunting?"

"Not yet," Lightningpaw admitted. "Sparrowstar says we start tomorrow."

"I can help and teach you some techniques afterwards, if you want," Yellowtail offered.

"Sure!" Lightningpaw said. "I'd love to learn some new techniques. I'm going to be the best warrior that WaterClan has ever seen!"

"I'll bet you will be," Swiftbreeze said. "You look like you've got a loose claw there. What happened?"

"Oh, it was nothing," Lightningpaw said, shrugging it off. "We just met a FrostClan warrior poking around. He jumped over the border, and I fought him off, but I got a loose claw."

"You are a very brave apprentice," Swiftbreeze laughed. "I doubt that I could do that even now! Stay right there, and I'll get some herbs to help with your claw."

"Really, I don't need it," Lightningpaw protested. "Maybe you should save it for when you really need it."

"I don't want to take the risk," Swiftbreeze told him firmly. "It's greenleaf anyway. I've got lots of comfrey. You're the fighter in the Clan and we need you in top shape."

"All right," Lightningpaw consented, sighing gustily. He tucked into a warm rabbit, which he shared with Yellowtail. "Wow, this is the biggest rabbit I've ever seen!" he exclaimed. "Yellowtail, you're a great hunter! Now can you teach me some moves? Please?" He gazed up at her with pleading eyes.

"All right," agreed Yellowtail. She licked her lips, polishing off the last of the meat.

"So, the hunter's crouch is like this." She crouched down with her hind legs tucked neatly under her belly. Her tail was still as stone, sticking straight out. Swiftbreeze could tell that at the slightest indication that prey was nearby, Yellowtail would be able to leap in less than a heartbeat. "Now you try," she encouraged Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw crouched down in a perfect hunter's crouch. He glanced up at Yellowtail.

"Like this?" he asked. Yellowtail nodded.

"Great job!" she purred. "Now try stalking."

Lightningpaw fixed his gaze on a leaf, and quietly stalked forward, stepping his paws down so lightly that even a mouse couldn't hear him.

"Good job!" Yellowtail praised him. "Just remember to always stay downwind of your prey." Lightningpaw nodded, and practiced again, this time downwind.

"You're really good at this," Yellowtail said. "Tomorrow I guess I'll show you more advanced tricks. Today, however, I want you to stalk something living." She glanced around the clearing, then put her mouth close to Lightningpaw's ear and whispered, "Stalk Swiftbreeze."

Lightningpaw's eyes lit up and he dropped silently into a perfect hunter's crouch. He placed one paw in front of another and slowly drew up to Swiftbreeze, who was still putting a massive mound of comfrey back into the store.

"Boo!" Lightningpaw laughed. Swiftbreeze whirled around, her reflexes causing her to turn.

"Lightningpaw!" she yelled playfully. "I'll get you for this!" She grabbed a feather and held him down, tickling his nose. Lightningpaw was too ticklish to resist, and he squirmed around, laughing hard.

"It's getting dark," Yellowtail said when Swiftbreeze stopped. "If you want to be up at dawn tomorrow for your training, Lightningpaw, you should probably go to your den. The apprentice den, now."

"Yeah," Lightningpaw agreed. "Thanks for teaching me those techniques, Yellowtail."

"You're welcome," Yellowtail said. "I can see that you're going to make a fine warrior for the Clan. Defeating a full-grown FrostClan warrior after a tiny bit of battle training…. I doubt if there was ever a wolf that could've done the same thing."

Lightningpaw was fairly glowing with pride and happiness as he sank into sleep, ready for another day of training. He was going to defend the territory and rebuild WaterClan. Sooner or later, when FrostClan decided to invade again, they were going to have a surprise.

The next morning, Lightningpaw was wide awake by dawn. Sparrowstar had said that today she'd teach him advanced battle moves, and if he was really good, she might have a two-on-one mock battle with him, Sparrowstar, and Yellowtail.

Lightningpaw was definitely planning on being really good. He was MoonClan's only hope for rebuilding WaterClan and he wasn't going to let them down.

Lightningpaw bounded out into the clearing, where Yellowtail was gulping down a shrew before hunting, and Swiftbreeze was laying marigold out to dry. The little stream that ran by camp must've overflowed a bit, Lightningpaw thought. He decided against eating something before training; Swiftbreeze must've been awake for a while, from the large pile of marigold. She'd probably be hungry, so Lightningpaw left the vole lying there and instead ran out to the training hollow, where Sparrowstar was waiting.

"I promised you that I'd do battle training today," she began. "However, I notice that you have a big appetite, and despite Yellowtail's hunting skills, I want to teach basic hunting concepts. You need to hunt more than fight. Both are important, but I want you at least as good hunting as Yellowtail by leaf-bare so you can feed the Clan. Everyone in it is important. Show me how you would stalk this leaf." She prodded a large green oak leaf.

Immediately, Lightningpaw dropped into a perfect hunting crouch and stalked the leaf. When he was a tail-length away, he jumped cleanly onto the leaf and made as if to nip it.

"That was perfect!" Sparrowstar praised. "Has Yellowtail been teaching you?"

"Yes," Lightningpaw replied. "Last evening she had me stalk Swiftbreeze."

"And you succeeded?"

Lightningpaw nodded.

"Wow. I don't think I could do that. Swiftbreeze has good hearing and reflexes."

"She tickled me after," admitted Lightningpaw. "I couldn't get out of her grip."

"Well, I think that we can skip hunting practice and go straight to battle training. Swiftbreeze does have good control over an opponent, but if you twist like this…" Sparrowstar twisted onto her side explosively. "You can get out."

Lightningpaw twisted perfectly.

"Good!" praised Sparrowstar. She kept teaching Lightningpaw until he was sure he could defeat any single wolf or lion.

"Okay. Go collect moss and cobweb for Swiftbreeze; she's running low. I'll go fetch Yellowtail for two-on-one battle practice. Be back here when the sun passes that branch." She pointed with her tail to a small branch that the sun was directly behind. Lightningpaw noticed that his stomach was grumbling; it was past sunhigh. He caught a meaty scent and sank his claws into a squirrel. He wouldn't eat it though; all fresh-kill went to the Clan. Anyways, it would be better practice for him if he did battle training while feeling hungry.

Lightningpaw padded through the forest to the tree that had lots of moss, and began to collect moss. However, he soon caught a strange scent in the forest, and decided to go investigate. He stalked through the undergrowth and soon discovered that the stench was coming from two FrostClan apprentices. They were walking around like they owned the territory. Lightningpaw crouched behind a bush to listen.

"Come on, Icepaw, let's just hurry up and get these herbs and take them back to Gorsepelt. It's not like there's anybody in WaterClan to stop us anyways." A large, brown wolf apprentice was coaxing another apprentice to steal catmint and marigold. Lightningpaw stiffened, and the fur rose along his spine. You're wrong, he thought darkly. Because I'm here to stop you.

"All right, Squirrelpaw," agreed Icepaw. "Let's just- wait, I smell something wrong."

"You're always fussing over strange scents," muttered Squirrelpaw. "Now, just help me collect-"

He never got to finish his sentence, for Lightningpaw leaped out of the undergrowth with a vicious snarl. The two FrostClan apprentices whirled around in surprise, but Lightningpaw was already on them. He sank his teeth deep into Icepaw's leg, causing her to howl pitifully, and clawed furiously at Squirrelpaw's ears. "You're wrong," he growled. "I'm here to defend WaterClan's rightful territory."

Icepaw and Squirrelpaw gasped, and began to fight back. However, Lightningpaw leaped onto Squirrelpaw's back, digging his hind claws in and rearing high. Icepaw tried to sweep his legs and Squirrelpaw tried to throw him off but he clawed them, drawing blood and forcing them once again to the ground. They howled in terror, and began to flee into the undergrowth. Lightningpaw pursued them, snarling. When the FrostClan apprentices crossed the border, he howled after them, "This territory is WaterClan's by right, and you have no right to be here! Don't come back!" He remained at the border to make sure they wouldn't come back, then went back to the tree to collect moss and cobwebs.

Sparrowstar burst through the undergrowth and panted, "What's wrong? I heard you howling…" Her voice trailed off when she saw the blood covering her apprentice's fur. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" she gasped in horror. She circled him, sniffing.

Lightningpaw mumbled around his moss, "Two FrostClan apprentices crossed the border and were about to steal catmint and marigold, but I fought them off." He looked down at his paws modestly.

Sparrowstar's eyes shone with pride. "You fought them off all by yourself? Impressive. Good job!" Then she narrowed her eyes. "Are you hurt?" she asked anxiously. "You're covered in blood!"

Lightningpaw licked himself and responded, "No, just a few scratches. I think this is the blood of the two apprentices. It tastes bad." Sparrowstar sighed in relief.

"Come on," she said. "I'll help you carry this stuff, and let's get back to camp."

Together, mentor and apprentice returned to camp, each of them laden with moss and cobwebs. Swiftbreeze emerged from her den, stretching, and padded toward them. Her eyes widened at the sight of so much moss and cobwebs. "You're going to shove me out of the den with all that moss," she joked. Then her gaze rested on Lightningpaw's still bloody pelt. Swiftbreeze bounded over to him and gasped, "What happened to you?!"

Lightningpaw dropped his moss and replied, "I had to fight off two FrostClan apprentices who were trying to steal our herbs. The blood on my pelt is mostly theirs."

Sparrowstar added proudly, "He fought them off all by himself, and he barely got hurt!"

Swiftbreeze looked Lightningpaw over, then ordered, "Go wash in the stream, and then I'll treat your wounds." Lightningpaw swiftly obeyed, leaping into the stream with a huge splash that drenched Swiftbreeze. She growled in annoyance, and Lightningpaw apologized sheepishly, "Oops. Sorry, Swiftbreeze."

Swiftbreeze shook out her fur, and went to her den to get the herbs she needed. Then, she came back to Lightningpaw and broke marigold stalks, dripping the juice that came out onto his scratches. She covered it up with cobwebs. "Come back tomorrow so I can change the dressing," she instructed.

"Thanks," said Lightningpaw.

"You're welcome," said Swiftbreeze. "Now, go get some fresh-kill, and no more strenuous activity for the rest of the day."

"All right," sighed Lightningpaw, and he went to the large fresh-kill pile and ate a vole and a squirrel; he hadn't eaten all day. Then, with a full belly, he went to the apprentices' den and fell fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 | FrostClan**

Lightningpaw grunted as his opponent's weight fell on him. He thrust up with all his might, but he couldn't budge the black pelt suffocating him. Lightningpaw tried to roll over, but he couldn't. The huge opponent pressed down on him, with an unusual scent that Lightningpaw recognized from the ThornClan border.

Lightningpaw suddenly couldn't move at all as his lungs were crushed. "Help," he choked out. But the enemy was merciless. Lightningpaw's vision blacked out from lack of air, and just when he was sure he was going to die, he choked, and light flooded his senses. His opponent vanished and he opened his eyes, screwing them up against the light. He choked again, and pulled moss from his throat.

"Wake up," Swiftbreeze called. "You overslept; it's past dawn. I need to change the dressing on your scratches before training today."

Lightningpaw's vision cleared. His opponent had been a dream. He stretched his unused muscles and padded out of the apprentice den.

Swiftbreeze carefully scraped away his dressing, which had stuck to his side from cobwebs and sweat. She looked into the wound. "Hmm. One of those apprentices must've had crow-food or something on their claw. The scratch is infected; it looks like the marigold wasn't enough. I want you to stay in camp until a bit past sunhigh, alright?"

Lightningpaw could tell that the scratch wasn't infected much, but he knew it could develop into something much worse. Even so, he still didn't like staying in camp when he could be out protecting and hunting for WaterClan. "Fine. Who's going to do border patrol?"

"Sparrowstar told me that she can't see any threats from MoonClan so I think we'll be fine." Swiftbreeze applied another poultice of marigold, horsetail, and oak leaf, binding it on with more cobweb. "I'm running low on juniper berries. Do you know what they look like?"

Lightningpaw nodded. He could see the purple berry in his mind.

"If you're really bored, then go out and get some more berries from the bush right outside camp. Don't go any further than that."

"Okay, I won't. How many do you need?"

Swiftbreeze shrugged. "Twenty to twenty-five would be more than enough."

Lightningpaw had already climbed out the exit to camp. He plucked berries off the bush to his right and he soon had twenty-three berries. He took them back to Swiftbreeze's den. Yellowtail was there too. Swiftbreeze looked worried as she checked Yellowtail's leg.

"What's going on?" he asked in bewilderment.

Swiftbreeze looked up. "Oh, thanks, Lightningpaw. It's nothing, I just need to heal this injury faster than I think I can. We're running low on fresh-kill so I want Yellowtail up and running as soon as possible."

"I'll go hunt," Lightningpaw offered instantly.

"No, you stay in camp until sunhigh. I don't want you injured more than you already are. At sunhigh, Sparrowstar will take you hunting and border patrol."

Lightningpaw padded to the measly fresh-kill pile and picked out a tiny shrew to eat. Then he padded over to the flat rocks near the leader's den and lay down, feeling the warmth relax his tight muscles.

Swiftbreeze looked at the gash in Yellowtail's leg. "How did you get this again?"

"I was chasing a rabbit but I didn't see this branch. I swerved around it and had to avoid a thorn so I ran straight into a sharp log."

Swiftbreeze sighed. "I don't want to do this, but I have to. This is a pretty bad wound. I'll need you to stay in camp for at least a day."

"A day! I need to hunt!"

"Lightningpaw can hunt when his wound heals. If you do more exercise, you could tear a ligament or even injure yourself so badly you'll never be able to use that leg again. Now hold still while I put this poultice on. Come back when you see blood through the cobweb so I can give you a new one." Swiftbreeze carefully applied marigold and pinched the edges of the injury together.

"OW!" cried Yellowtail.

"Sorry. I need this to line up so it heals properly." Swiftbreeze bound the wound with cobweb and held it in place with burrs. "Now go sleep. It's best if you don't expend much energy."

"Alright. Thanks, Swiftbreeze."

Swiftbreeze sighed and looked back over her stores of herbs. With the injuries in the Clan, she was running low on marigold. Swiftbreeze padded out of the camp and out to the FrostClan border. As much as she disliked being on the border so soon after Lightningpaw's skirmish, it was the only clear, sunny place in the territory. Marigold only grew well here. Even though medicine cats were allowed by the warrior code to go anywhere on any Clan's territory, FrostClan had already proven itself to be scornful of the warrior code. If a warrior attacked, Swiftbreeze might be able to defend herself, but FrostClan was a warrior Clan. They were the best fighters in all the Clans' territories. Usually, Swiftbreeze would've taken a warrior escort with her, but she couldn't with the other lion and wolf injured. She would just have to take the risk.

She gathered her herbs without incident and was just about to bound back through the forest when she heard a shout. "You! Swiftbreeze!" She turned around. A large tabby warrior stood right behind the border, reeking of FrostClan.

Swiftbreeze hissed and arched her back ferociously. It was all bluff; if the warrior really did attack, she'd have no chance.

"I'm not going to attack," the warrior said. "I just have a message from my leader, Snowstar. She wants to know why you weren't at last night's Howl Time."

Swiftbreeze had completely forgotten about the Howl Time. The warrior continued, "Since Icepaw and Squirrelpaw told us that WaterClan is still alive-"

"No thanks to you and your Clan," Swiftbreeze growled.

"-then why weren't you at the Howl Time?"

"What my Clan does is none of your business. Tell Snowstar that she'd better not try to invade us again, and that she has no right to poke around." With that, Swiftbreeze picked up her marigold, turned sharply around, and bounded back to camp. However, as she was running, she regretted that she had not asked the warrior how he knew her name.

Lightningpaw paced restlessly around camp. It was almost sunhigh and he was extremely bored. He longed to be out in the forest, hunting for his Clan. But he knew he needed his infection to heal.

Swiftbreeze bounded through the entrance to camp. Lightningpaw could almost smell the uncertainty coming off her in waves. He hopped down from the tiny, rocky path. "What happened? I thought you were just going to get some marigold."

Swiftbreeze put her marigold down. "I met a FrostClan warrior at the border."

Lightningpaw stiffened and let out a low growl. "Just one?"

Swiftbreeze nodded. "He was taking a message from Snowstar. He was wondering why we were not at last Howl Time."

"What did you say to him?" pressed Lightningpaw, his blue eyes flashing.

"I told him that the business of my Clan is none of his business."

Lightningpaw sighed in relief.

"By the way, Lightningpaw," Swiftbreeze went on. "It's sunhigh, and since Sparrowstar isn't here yet, you should probably go hunting to stock up the fresh-kill pile."

Lightningpaw looked up, and said, "Really? Great! I'll catch so much your bellies will be stuffed tonight."

Swiftbreeze nodded and said, "I bet you will. I can't wait to see what you bring back."

Lightningpaw raced out of camp, beaming, and soon disappeared into the forest.

"Whoa, you caught a lot!" gasped Swiftbreeze as Lightningpaw padded back to camp with his jaws holding two plump rabbits, three thrushes, several mice, and a squirrel. It was now evening.

Lightningpaw dropped his prey on the fresh-kill pile and replied, "That's not all. I have to go make another trip for more fresh-kill."

"Really?" exclaimed Yellowtail as she emerged from the warrior's den.

"Really," confirmed Lightningpaw, as he dashed back into the woods.

Yellowtail glanced at Swiftbreeze and said, "Looks like he certainly lived up to his word."

Swiftbreeze nodded. "Yeah. I really will have a full belly tonight."

Lightningpaw came racing back through the fern tunnel with three more squirrels and one vole. "And for the grand finale," he said as he raced back out of camp. He came back with three fat trout. "I caught them in the river," he said proudly.

Swiftbreeze felt her stomach turn queasy. She looked at Yellowtail, who looked ready to throw up.

Lightningpaw gave one fish to Yellowtail and one to Swiftbreeze. Then he started eating his own fish. "I hope you guys like these," he mumbled around his mouthful.

Swiftbreeze said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, Lightningpaw, but, we lions don't… ah… eat fish," she stammered.

Lightningpaw stared at her in disbelief. The two lions lowered their heads. Lightningpaw gasped, "How can you not like fish?! They're just so… tasty!''

Yellowtail spoke up. "We lions just don't eat or like fish. I'm sorry. You can eat our fish." She shoved hers and Swiftbreeze's fish to him. Lightningpaw licked his lips and gulped down the fish while the lions ate the other fresh-kill.

When they finished eating, Swiftbreeze said, "My stomach is very full. Thanks for catching this stuff!" Yellowtail echoed her thanks. With that, the wolf and two lions curled into their nests and slept a peaceful sleep.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short! The next one will be longer!**

 **Chapter 5 | Prophecy**

Lightningpaw and Sparrowstar were doing the dawn border patrol when Lightningpaw smelled a whiff of ThornClan scent. Sparrowstar smelled it too. "Let's go investigate," she hissed into Lightningpaw's ear. The two wolves crept up to the scent and saw a whole patrol of ThornClan warriors standing in WaterClan territory. One of them growled, "It's not like those lame WaterClan warriors are going to see us hunt here anyway, so let's get on and hunt!" The other wolves nodded in agreement.

"Wait. I smell fresh WaterClan scent," growled a gray warrior, flicking his tail to the place where Lightningpaw and Sparrowstar were hiding.

"I smell it too," sniffed another warrior. "Let's-"

Lightningpaw and Sparrowstar erupted from the undergrowth and aggressively attacked the ThornClan patrol, howling angrily. They had the element of surprise, but the warriors fought back. "I told you I smelled something strange," growled the gray warrior as he struggled with Sparrowstar.

Lightningpaw was bravely facing three warriors. "Get out of my territory, you thieves," he spat, clawing their tender bellies mercilessly. "Or I'll have to force you." The three warriors fled onto their side of the border, howling in pain.

Pleased, Lightningpaw turned to face a brown apprentice who was attacking him. He shoved her over the border with a powerful swipe of his paw, then leaped onto another warrior, forcing him to the ground. Then, he looked over to see how his mentor was doing- Sparrowstar was bleeding all over, but was bravely fighting two warriors twice her size; however, Lightningpaw could see that she was tiring.

He bounded over to help her, but five enormous warriors tackled him, forcing him to the ground. They started clawing and biting him viciously and without mercy as if they knew nothing of the warrior code. Lightningpaw yelped in pain and tried to fight back but was unable to as the two biggest wolves pinned him down.

One of the warriors laughed menacingly. "No more playing hero," he sneered. "You've got us to get through."

Lightningpaw struggled to escape, but he was only attacked even worse. He howled in agony, while the warriors still clawed at his soft belly; he felt himself start to black out.

Suddenly, he felt a huge weight come off of him. It was Sparrowstar! Wounded though she was, she was bravely protecting her apprentice.

Using his last bit of strength, Lightningpaw hurled himself onto his attackers and drove them out of the territory. Then he collapsed onto the cold, hard ground, and the world went black.

When Lightningpaw came to, he was lying inside the medicine den. He was curled up on a thick, mossy nest while Swiftbreeze prepared herbs for him. Then the pain hit. Oh... It was all he could do to stop himself from groaning. When Lightningpaw felt good enough to speak, he rasped, "Did we stop ThornClan? Is Sparrowstar okay?"

Instantly, Swiftbreeze was at his side. "Shh. Don't exert yourself. Once you blacked out, the ThornClan warriors retreated- you injured them too badly to continue. Sparrowstar told us about you but she was too weak to take you back to camp, so Yellowtail got you. Sparrowstar went back to MoonClan for the medicine wolf there to heal her. She thought I'd have my paws full with you." Swiftbreeze laughed, but suddenly Lightningpaw was painfully aware of the dark circles under her eyes.

"How long was I out?" Lightningpaw asked.

"It's been three days," Swiftbreeze told him.

"Three days?! How badly was I injured?" Lightningpaw gasped, then broke into a fit of coughing.

"Very badly," Swiftbreeze sighed. "I think the scratches are healing okay, though, and the bites seem to be closing. The stomach injury is the one I'm worried about. You've lost a lot of blood. But since you're awake, I think I can take a nap. There's a moss ball soaked in water and a rabbit right here." She prodded a warm rabbit towards him. "Wake me if you need anything." She yawned and curled up in her nest, sinking into sleep immediately.

Lightningpaw eagerly gulped down the rabbit, feeling warmth return to his body. Then, he quickly slurped up the water, and, exhausted just from eating, fell back asleep.

A couple hours later, Yellowtail padded into the medicine lion den. She wasn't injured; she just wanted to check on Lightningpaw. Swiftbreeze had gone to sleep, so Yellowtail was careful not to disturb her.

Lightningpaw looked peaceful, his fluffy chest going up and down rhythmically. Yellowtail turned to leave, when something caught her attention. It was coiled and the end of it seemed glistening...? What? Yellowtail looked closer- and immediately jerked her head back. Snake! She would've yowled, but the snake struck. Not towards Yellowtail, but towards Lightningpaw.

Yellowtail nearly screamed and threw herself in front of Lightningpaw to protect him from the venomous snake. In his weak state, a snake bite could kill him. But the snake struck anyways, and Yellowtail looked down in disbelief at the snake bite on her front paw. She roared in pain, and grabbed a rock and smashed the snake's head, determined to get revenge on the venomous creature.

Woken by Yellowtail's roar, Swiftbreeze shot to her feet. "Great MoonClan! What is it?" she gasped, still sleepy, her eyes not focusing. Lightningpaw opened his eyes sleepily, but was too weak to get up.

"Snakebite!" Yellowtail gasped in pain. "Can you get the poison out?"

Immediately Swiftbreeze dove into her herbs and selected a few that Yellowtail had never even seen before. "Eat these!" She crammed them down Yellowtail's throat desperately and tried to soak her foot in the wet moss to flush the poison out. After a few heartbeats she stopped and sighed in relief. "You'll be okay. That paw might hurt for a few sunrises but the venom hadn't taken hold of your system. I'll deposit this poisoned moss far away from camp and luckily the snake is dead, so we won't have to worry about it anymore." Swiftbreeze dashed outside through the fern tunnel and buried the snake carcass and the moss near the far SnowClan border.

When she got back to camp, she found both Yellowtail and Lightningpaw back to sleep. Overcome with drowsiness, she curled up in her nest and fell fast asleep.

"Swiftbreeze, wake up! Wake up!" Swiftbreeze's eyes shot open when she heard a familiar voice calling her.

"Mother? Mother!" she gasped and she saw her beloved mother, Robin, standing next to her. "Mother! I've missed you so much!" Swiftbreeze nuzzled Robin's soft gray fur. Robin rested her head on Swiftbreeze's head.

"Swiftbreeze," Robin whispered. "I have a message to give you."

Swiftbreeze pulled away. "What is it?" Her voice cracked. "Everyone in WaterClan has had such hardship… snakebite, battles… what is the message?"

"Dear Swiftbreeze," Robin sighed lovingly, "I know things are hard, but they will get harder. I wish I did not have to give you this message, but I must. A hard leaf-bare is coming, colder and harsher than any you've ever experienced before. You must prepare now. Have Yellowtail and Lightningpaw hunt as much as they can and bury it to save. Gather all your herbs. Do not worry about them not growing back; you must survive this leafbare.

"But remember, present a strong front. The other Clans will not be hit so hard, and they might try to invade. I do not know. But there is one last thing. Before the warm season ends, lightning shall scorch, and lightning shall heal. Be strong, Swiftbreeze. My thoughts are with you always." Robin began to fade away.

Swiftbreeze sat shocked. After all their hard work, was it possible that WaterClan could just fade away? Countless generations of wolves and lions, gone? Possible it might be, but it wouldn't happen. Swiftbreeze would protect WaterClan's legacy to the end.

But what disturbed Swiftbreeze most was Robin's prophecy. Swiftbreeze knew that Robin walked with MoonClan now, so the prophecy came from them. But what did it mean? Before the warm season ends, lightning shall scorch, and lightning shall heal. What on earth could that mean? "The warm season" obviously meant greenleaf, but the rest was unclear. Lightning could definitely scorch, but how could it heal?

Swiftbreeze's head spun with ideas, so she decided to go find Yellowtail and Lightningpaw to see what they thought.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 | Injury**

Lightningpaw's eyes snapped open; his stomach was growling furiously and his mouth was nearly stuck together with dryness. He saw a moss ball soaked in water near his nest and gratefully lapped at it. Three mice were piled by his nose, and he gulped them down eagerly, quieting his roaring stomach.

He got up and stretched, feeling restless after so many days of being weak and stuck in the nest. Cobwebs and dried pulp fell off of his fur. Lightningpaw turned and began grooming his fur, clearing it of dry blood and herbs. He yawned, waking Swiftbreeze who was dozing nearby.

Swiftbreeze looked up sleepily, but when she saw Lightningpaw sitting up in his nest, she bounded up to him and exclaimed, "You're awake! Thank MoonClan you made it! You've been fighting death for several days!"

Lightningpaw looked down at his paws and said, "I feel much better now. Thank you Swiftbreeze! Can I go outside? Please?" He looked at Swiftbreeze pleadingly; with a start, Swiftbreeze noticed that Lightningpaw was as big as her.

She responded, "Well, you can go into the clearing, but you may not go beyond the camp walls. No strenuous work, because you're still very weak."

Lightningpaw dashed out of the den and called behind his shoulder, "Okay, okay!" When he stepped outside, he screwed up his eyes against the sunlight. Yellowtail, who had just finished her fresh-kill, trotted over to him and purred, "You're finally awake! You've been out for several sunrises!"

Lightningpaw told her, "I feel so restless now! I'm longing to get out of camp and hunt for the camp, but Swiftbreeze said that I couldn't." He looked longingly at the woods surrounding the camp.

Yellowtail chuckled and said, "Well, we don't want you getting hurt again now do we?" When Lightningpaw looked as though he couldn't think of anything to say, she added, "Here, I'll show you some more advanced hunting techniques, if that's okay with Swiftbreeze." She glanced over at the medicine lion, who nodded.

Lightningpaw growled happily, "Oh, yes! I'll be the best hunter WaterClan has ever seen!" He leaped high into the air in excitement.

The next day, Sparrowstar came to visit WaterClan, and Swiftbreeze told her that Lightningpaw was strong enough to train. "Just don't work him too hard," she warned. Sparrowstar nodded and summoned Lightningpaw, and told him, "As you have seen, the fresh-kill pile is very low, and with leaf-bare coming, we need to fatten the Clan for the cold months of no prey."

Meanwhile, Swiftbreeze had gone over to the fallen log behind the stream to look for cobwebs. She pushed it over, suddenly losing her balance, and fell headfirst into a large, cold, underground cavern! "Help!" she screeched, hoping that someone would hear her. Her leg was throbbing in pain; she must have sprained it. Her fur was fluffing up to keep out the biting cold.

As Lightningpaw was heading out of camp, he heard Swiftbreeze's agonized screech. He turned around and raced back to the source of her voice and finally found her stuck deep in an underground cavern. Bewildered, he asked, "How did you get in there anyways? This cave-"

"JUST GET ME OUT OF THIS- this, CAVERN!'' Swiftbreeze screeched at him.

Lightningpaw jumped to his paws and responded, "Okay, okay, I'm coming." He assessed the situation, then leaped nimbly down the boulders to where Swiftbreeze lay. She was heavily panting and was shivering uncontrollably.

Lightningpaw grasped her by her scruff and started hauling her up the rocks. "Can't you be a little more careful?!" gasped Swiftbreeze grumpily as her hurt leg scraped a sharp rock. Lightningpaw quickly adjusted his grip and mumbled around her fur, "Sorry." Swiftbreeze just sniffed. He knew that he was hurting her pride, but there was nothing he could do about it.

As he reached the top, Yellowtail bounded over to him. Her eyes widened, but she quickly reached out and grasped her legs; Swiftbreeze yelped in pain. "That hurts! Be careful!'' she snapped. Together, Lightningpaw and Yellowtail carried Swiftbreeze to her nest.

"What herbs do you need?" asked Yellowtail anxiously.

"First I need you to set my leg in place," Swiftbreeze explained. "You do that by putting it in the right position and then setting it with cobwebs. Then hold the cobwebs in place with burrs."

Lightningpaw held the leg in place. Swiftbreeze winced but stayed silent while Yellowtail quickly bound the leg with cobwebs and secured it with burrs.

"Now what?" Lightningpaw asked.

"Do you see that plant with bell-shaped flowers?"

"Yeah," Yellowtail said. She was closer to the herbs.

"That's called comfrey. Can you chew some of it into a pulp and put it on my leg? Then I need to eat some and have a small poppy seed for pain relief."

Lightningpaw quickly retrieved the seed while Yellowtail made the poultice. Swiftbreeze lapped up her herbs and then looked at Yellowtail's pads. "Those pads of yours look cracked, Yellowtail. What happened?"

"I was hunting water voles over rocks."

"Well, come here and I'll put some yarrow on that." Swiftbreeze stood up, wincing slightly as she put weight on her injured leg. She padded stiffly to her rock shelf herb store and applied a poultice to Yellowtail's paws. "That looks better."

"It is," Yellowtail confirmed, sighing in relief.

"Great!" said Lightningpaw. "Now I can ask you how you fell into that cavern."

"Well, I was looking for cobwebs under that old log," began Swiftbreeze. "And then I just fell into that hole. I don't know how it happened."

"I've been meaning to mention this," Swiftbreeze continued. "My mother, Robin- she lives with MoonClan now- she came to me in a dream and gave me a message. Apparently we're going to have a really hard leaf-bare, and we need to store food. We've got to hunt and save up fresh-kill and present a strong front to the other Clans. Maybe that cavern-"

"I can do that," Lightningpaw interrupted, growling. "Those Clans had better not try."

"And so what I was saying," Swiftbreeze continued, giving Lightningpaw a sharp look. "That cavern is really cold."

"Really?" asked Lightningpaw in surprise. "It wasn't all that bad."

"Easy for you to say. You've got the thickest fur I've ever seen in my life," muttered Swiftbreeze. "Anyways, as I was saying, that cavern is really cold, so we might be able to store food for long periods of time, and in large quantities, because it's so big. I think we can also take refuge in there if need be, because I saw a small stream flowing, and I think I even saw some rabbit's ear moss!"

"Wow! Good idea!" Yellowtail spoke up. "Lightningpaw and I can start hunting and store food in there!" She beckoned to Lightningpaw with her tail and began heading out of the den when Swiftbreeze called, "Wait! There's one more thing I've been meaning to tell you!'' They both came back, Lightningpaw's tail flicking with impatience.

"Robin also gave me a prophecy: Before the warm season ends, lightning shall scorch, and lightning shall heal. I've been trying to figure out what it means, and I thought you two might have ideas."

"That doesn't make any sense!" argued Yellowtail. "How can lightning hurt and heal?"

"If MoonClan can see the future, can't they just tell us what's going to happen?" growled Lightningpaw frustratedly.

"I guess it's their nature," Swiftbreeze guessed. "Anyways, let's not spend too much time dwelling on it. You guys need to hunt and I need to gather herbs to prepare for leaf-bare. It's almost leaf-fall, guys. Hurry! We might not survive the next moons if we don't prepare."

Lightningpaw padded to the huge pine tree in the middle of WaterClan's territory, called the Old Pine. Mice and birds often liked to nest there, so Lightningpaw would probably be able to catch a lot there, and then fish for himself in the stream next to camp.

Almost immediately a meaty scent tingled his nose. Mouse! Lightningpaw dropped into the hunting crouch, remembering to land his paws lightly as the mouse would be very aware of vibrations. But it didn't seem disturbed by Lightningpaw's light, careful stalking and darted out of its burrow to nibble an acorn.

When Lightningpaw was two tail-lengths away from it, he sprang, landing neatly on top of it. He carefully buried it for later, resisting nibbling on the delicious fresh-kill. All his catch went to the Clan. Once Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze were well fed, then he would eat.

His nose caught another scent, but it was different. It wasn't a prey-scent, but predator-scent. It was the scent of a mountain lion whose "territory" he'd walked upon.

The huge, lumbering mountain lion roared and stretched up to its full height, towering over Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw was not intimidated. He would drive this predator off WaterClan's land. Lightningpaw roared and leaped onto the mountain lion's back, digging his claws into the stinky, tufty, coarse fur. The mountain lion roared again and tried to shake Lightningpaw off, but Lightningpaw's thorn-sharp claws wouldn't let go.

Then somehow, the mountain lion's front leg reached up and plucked Lightningpaw off his back, tearing fur in the process. The mountain lion sliced down Lightningpaw's chest, reopening the stomach wound he'd gotten from the ThornClan patrol. Then it started clawing his back, ears, and belly. Lightningpaw gasped in pain but bravely fought back, scoring his claws down the mountain lion's chest and head.

The mountain lion hissed in pain and dropped Lightningpaw, who immediately snarled and bared his powerful fangs. The mountain lion fled deeper into WaterClan territory, closer to camp.

That won't do, Lightningpaw thought, pursuing the mountain lion. Swiftbreeze usually would be able to defend herself against a mountain lion, but not when she's injured. Then he gasped in horror. Swiftbreeze wasn't in camp; she was at the source of the camp stream, gathering watermint! The mountain lion wasn't fleeing at all, but heading towards an easier target! It must know that it would be easier to fight Lightningpaw while he had to defend another lion!

Lightningpaw sped up desperately, but the mountain lion sensed his realization and scooted ahead. "Swiftbreeze!" Lightningpaw yowled desperately. "Mountain lion coming your way!"

Too late, Swiftbreeze got his warning. A loud shriek came from her as the mountain lion savagely roared.

Lightningpaw threw himself into the clearing. The mountain lion had Swiftbreeze cornered and was about to deliver the death blow when Lightningpaw landed on its back again. The mountain lion shook him off, again dislodging fur, and, apparently thinking that these were too much work, fled down into the mountains.

"You're injured!" Swiftbreeze gasped. Lightningpaw's stomach injury was bleeding very heavily, and it hurt like crazy, as did the rest of his body. He limped back to camp with Swiftbreeze by his side.

Yellowtail came tearing back to camp and panted, "I heard you guys roar, and I came to see what's going on." She paused when she saw Lightningpaw, her eyes widening.

"A mountain lion came and-" Lightningpaw couldn't finish his sentence, for his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed on the ground, fainting from the pain and loss of blood.

"No," Swiftbreeze whispered.

"Yellowtail looked up at her comrade. "Will he make it?" she inquired softly.

Swiftbreeze's eyes clouded and she responded, "He may not, so soon after being torn apart by ThornClan." Then her eyes cleared and she said, "Help me get him to my den." Yellowtail obeyed, and then raced off to drive the mountain lion out of the territory (hopefully into ThornClan, she thought secretly).

Meanwhile, Swiftbreeze was using fresh moss to wipe away the blood on Lightningpaw's fur and clean the dirt from the cuts. Her eyes widened with horror at what she saw: Lightningpaw's stomach was sliced down the middle, starting at his throat and ending near his tail. Other deep cuts were adjacent to the main cut; his nose had a deep scratch. His muzzle was scratched- he would be scarred for life; tufts of fur dangled from his back, which was covered in bites. Oh, MoonClan, she prayed, please don't let this wolf die. He lived such a noble life, and he is to rebuild WaterClan. She received no reply.

Swiftbreeze retreated into her den and came out with her whole stash of marigold in her jaws. She chewed it into a poultice and applied it to Lightningpaw's stomach slice; then, she pinched it together, waking Lightningpaw. He drew in a sharp breath; Swiftbreeze knew he was trying to hide his pain, but it came out in an earsplitting howl of agony. She quickly made a poultice of goldenrod, horsetail, dock, dried oak leaf, and burdock root. The herbs were the strongest she could make them, and she gently placed them on the wound. She squeezed her eyes shut; then she started to use cobwebs to hold the wound together, securing it with burrs, but he started thrashing about in pain, howling uncontrollably. Swiftbreeze felt sympathy flood her heart; Lightningpaw was just past cubhood, and this pain would be harsh on even a full-grown wolf, so it would be unbearable to a young apprentice.

At that moment Yellowtail came tearing back and reported triumphantly, "That mountain beast fled into the territory of those ThornClan brutes. I-" Her voice broke off at the sight of Lightningpaw. "What can I do to help?" she demanded.

"Get him a sturdy stick for him to take his pain out on," Swiftbreeze instructed. "And get plenty of moss and cobwebs." Yellowtail nodded and dashed off, bringing back the stick; Swiftbreeze almost laughed- Yellowtail was covered with cobwebs, and it looked as though she would drown in all the moss she brought. "Thanks," she said.

Yellowtail prodded the stick toward Lightningpaw's mouth. "Here," she offered, "bite down on this." Lightningpaw obeyed and bit down, launching splinters into Yellowtail's pelt.

Swiftbreeze sighed. "Go get a bigger stick." Yellowtail obeyed, and brought back a huge branch to Lightningpaw, who splintered it again. "I guess the sticks won't work," sighed Swiftbreeze. "Help me by holding wetting down some of the moss and wiping away the blood." Yellowtail nodded, and bounded over to the stream. At that moment, Quailfur appeared with Stormstar.

"What can we do?" she asked, her eyes filling with pity at the sight of her son, who was still howling thunderously. Swiftbreeze looked up, and instructed, "Just try to calm him down by licking him or something." Then she turned to Stormstar, and said, "I need you to hold him down and keep him from moving." He nodded, and struggled to hold down his son.

Oakfur, and ancient medicine wolf, also appeared and said, "Here, young'un, let me help." Swiftbreeze nodded to him gratefully, then returned to applying the marigold to Lightningpaw's cuts. She added a bit of stinging nettle leaves to bring down the swelling and used a damp moss ball to make sure the herbs went into the wound. With some of the last marigold, she squeezed the healing juice onto the wound and used the leaves as a poultice on a large scratch.

Yellowtail came running back and began to gently wipe away the blood. Oakfur rearranged Lightningpaw's ruined nest, then began to apply fresh cobwebs over the poultice smeared over the cuts, securing them with burrs.

Stormstar had been able to hold down his son, who was was still howling, but more softly, apparently soothed by his mother's gentle licking; however, he was still struggling under his father's thick paws.

Finally, after working with Lightningpaw till after sunset, Oakfur declared, "That wolf's a strong one. He'll make it, I'm pretty sure."

Swiftbreeze nodded and responded drowsily, "Thank you so much for helping me. I don't know if I would've been able to save him without your help." Stormstar dipped his head, and Quailfur murmured, "We will be here anytime you need help." Then she, Stormstar, and Oakfur faded into the dark night, and their place was taken by Sparrowstar, who murmured to Swiftbreeze, "I'll watch over him. You can go to sleep." Swiftbreeze blinked gratefully, and fell asleep the moment her head touched the soft moss.

The next morning, Lightningpaw was still unconscious, but his sleep looked more natural, with deep, even breaths. Yellowtail came to visit right after dawn, bringing a squirrel to share with Swiftbreeze.

The two lions finished the fresh-kill quickly and quietly to avoid disturbing Lightningpaw.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" Yellowtail asked.

"I don't know," sighed Swiftbreeze, "but I hope within one or two days."

The lions went out into the clearing to get ready for the day's duties. Swiftbreeze made a mental list of the herbs she needed to collect before the frost of leaf-bare, and then she remembered. "Yellowtail! It's half-moon tonight. I need to visit the Starpool. Maybe they'll show if Lightningpaw is all right." And on the way I can collect some chervil and watermint, too. I'm running low on that… but I can't let any other medicine wolves know that WaterClan is preparing for a weak season.

Yellowtail apparently had the same thought. "Are you going to go now, or wait for night? I think you should probably go now; it would be safer."

"I agree," Swiftbreeze said, "I'm planning to go right after I finish collecting watermint from the stream. I had to drop it yesterday because of the mountain lion."

"Are you sure you should go there? The mountain lion might still be hanging around. And your paw is still slightly sprained, isn't it?"

"It is. I put more comfrey on today and it should be fine. But I'm pretty sure that Lightningpaw taught that creature a lesson."

"All right. Be safe."

Swiftbreeze walked out of the camp and returned with watermint and catmint in her jaws. "I found catmint by the stream! This is great! I'm expecting an outbreak of greencough this leaf-bare, so I'm glad I found it."

"Awesome!" Yellowtail said. "Are you going to go to the Starpool?"

"Yup, I'm going now." Swiftbreeze walked out of camp again and headed up to the mountains. WaterClan's territory was the closest to the Starpool, so Swiftbreeze wouldn't have to go through any other Clans' territory. They would probably be suspicious that she wasn't going to the Starpool at twilight, like she usually did.

Swiftbreeze completed the trek up the mountain easily, and she quickly hunted and caught a mouse to eat. It was outside the Clans' territory, so anything she caught, she was allowed to eat. By then it was just before sunhigh. Swiftbreeze walked into the dark pool of water. Even in the sunlight, the water was dark and sparkled with stars. Swiftbreeze curled into her favorite dip in the hollow and lapped up a few drops of sparkling, cold water.

Immediately her head grew heavy and Swiftbreeze sank into sleep.

She found herself in MoonClan, surrounded by warriors. Three of them stepped forward. She recognized Robin and Quailfur, but the last one, a silver-and-black lithe she-wolf, she did not know.

"Robin!" Swiftbreeze greeted her. "I've been thinking about your prophecy… what does it mean?"

Robin did not answer.

Puzzled, Swiftbreeze asked the same question to Quailfur, she she didn't move either. Swiftbreeze tried again on the mystery wolf and finally received an answer.

"Why aren't they responding?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"We are not allowed to interpret our prophecies," the wolf replied. "My name is Silverflame, mother of the FrostClan warrior Darkfire. I traveled far into the mountains during my lifetime, so I am not bound by the same rules as other MoonClan warriors are."

"Can you tell me if Lightningpaw will live?"

"That I cannot say," Silverflame replied. "Some things are not in the paws of MoonClan. Whether he shall live or not is in your paws."

"One more thing- who is Darkfire?"

Silverflame sighed wistfully. She really was a beautiful and elegant wolf. "Darkfire is my daughter. She is a senior warrior in FrostClan. All I can tell you is that she will be part of your life. Not as a friend, but as a formidable enemy."

"But, why are you helping me then?"

"I am a warrior of MoonClan, Swiftbreeze. I am on all sides at once. You will wake up very soon, but I have one last thing for you. This leaf-bare, greencough will hit you hard. Make sure that Lightningpaw doesn't die; if he does, the balance of the Clans shall be gone forever." Silverflame stared into her eyes sternly.

"Okay. I'll do that."

"Good. I wish you all the best, Swiftbreeze. MoonClan will always be there for you. I have taken a special interest in you because you are instrumental in MoonClan's plan. Good luck."

Swiftbreeze lifted her head in the Starpool hollow. It was just past sunhigh. She got up and headed back to camp.

On the way, Swiftbreeze decided to look on the FrostClan border to see if there was any marigold left. She was surprised to see that the marigold had grown back abundantly. She picked off a good bundle.

"What are you doing on the border?" snapped a harsh voice that sounded faintly like Silverflame's. Swiftbreeze turned and saw a beautiful jet-black wolf with blazing golden eyes staring down. This must be Darkfire. Behind Darkfire were two warriors that Swiftbreeze recognized as Snakeheart and Ambertail, both she-wolves. Swiftbreeze would stand no chance if a fight started.

"I'm collecting herbs," Swiftbreeze told them. She could hear Silverflame's voice, telling her what to do.

Don't appear threatening, Silverflame instructed. Just tell the truth and convince Darkfire that you're only doing your business.

After a long moment, Darkfire grunted and growled to her patrol, "Come on. Let's not waste time on this puny medicine lion."

Nice daughter you have, Swiftbreeze muttered to Silverflame.

She's just a product of her environment. If you're not tough in FrostClan, they either kill you or kick you out. That's why there's no elders in FrostClan.

Swiftbreeze suddenly felt queasy. ...Nice…

She scooped up the marigold, bounded back to camp and told Yellowtail what had happened.

Yellowtail thought about it for a moment. "We'll have to discuss it with Lightningpaw when he wakes up. He's kind of the strategist."

Swiftbreeze glanced at the fresh-kill pile, which was piled high with prey. "Looks like you went hunting. We'd better put this in that cavern I fell into to save it. I am now calling that the Cold Cave because I don't really like saying 'cavern'."

Yellowtail laughed and scooped up three squirrels to put in the Cold Cave.

Once the lions had finished stocking the Cold Cave with herbs, fresh-kill, moss, and confirmed that the stream ran through it, they decided to check on Lightningpaw. He was still sleeping, but Swiftbreeze announced that he would probably wake up next dawn.

The two lions started discussing Silverflame. "So is she like your guardian warrior now or something?" Yellowtail wondered.

"I don't know," Swiftbreeze replied. "She said that MoonClan doesn't have control over everything, though, so we should probably start being more independent."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 | Catmint**

As Lightningpaw bounded through the woods in search of prey, he thought about the past moon. It was now solidly leaf-fall. He had basically been out for seven sunrises, and it was twelve sunrises before he could even sit up in his nest. Scars were permanently left on his body, especially his face, and his stomach wound had finally closed up.

Lightningpaw paused when he picked up a scent, one he had only smelled once when WaterClan was still alive. Deer! He picked up his pace and saw a huge herd of fat deer grazing near the grassy shore of the brook. Picking out a young buck near the edge, he slowly began to creep up on it. Then, he leaped out of the trees and sank his teeth squarely into the buck's throat. The other deer hadn't noticed, and Lightningpaw took this to his advantage; he picked out a big, nearly full-grown fawn, and quietly killed it also.

As Lightningpaw returned to the camp dragging one deer using his teeth and with the other draped across his back, Sparrowstar came racing up to him and gasped, "How did you ever catch those deer! It takes a whole pack to take down a deer! We'll be well fed for moons!"

Swiftbreeze came hurrying out of her den, and her eyes widened at the vast amount of meat. Yellowtail came, emerging from the camp entrance with her jaws laden with fresh-kill. Sparrowstar announced, "We should have a feast to fatten ourselves for leaf-bare." The others agreed, and tucked into the delicious meat.

Swiftbreeze shivered in the cold wind that pierced through the medicine den. Two moons had passed since Lightningpaw had taken down the deer. It was now leaf-bare. Swiftbreeze's thin, smooth fur did nothing to help keep the cold out. She ventured into the clearing, feeling the wind hit her like a claw. Lightningpaw had taken the early-morning watch. He looked positively cheerful.

"Good morning, Swiftbreeze!" he said brightly.

"G-good morning," she replied, shivering. "How are you not cold?"

"I have thick fur."

As Swiftbreeze eyed Lightningpaw's incredibly thick fur, Yellowtail emerged from the warriors' den. "I can taste snow on the air. We should move into the Cold Cave, it's probably warmer there than up here. The ground insulates it."

"It probably is," agreed Swiftbreeze, stamping over to the log. "Come on. The log will keep the snow out." They jumped into the cave, Lightningpaw putting the log back as he went.

They shared two squirrels from the storage place, and then the lions curled up in the moss while Lightningpaw lapped water from the stream.

Swiftbreeze announced, "So here's what we have. We have four and a half deer, seven squirrels, thirteen mice, four voles, four rabbits, three fish, four blackbirds, five other birds, herbs, water, and moss."

Yellowtail coughed.

Immediately Swiftbreeze was by her side. "We can't have any sickness." She checked her herb storage. "I'm out of catmint. Lightningpaw, could you get some? It's close to the beginning of the stream. You go there and head toward the Old Pine."

"Okay," Lightningpaw agreed, and climbed out the exit, making sure to replace the log. A few snowflakes drifted in.

"I guess it's starting to snow," Swiftbreeze sighed, and returned to checking Yellowtail. "Yellowtail, you have whitecough. It could easily turn to greencough, and I don't want you sick. Here, I've got some herbs, although what you really need is catmint."

Swiftbreeze gave Yellowtail some tansy to stop coughing, feverfew and lavender to bring down fever, and borage to strengthen her.

After a while, Lightningpaw returned with a few scratches on his muzzle and one shriveled leaf of catmint.

"What happened?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"There was a patrol of FrostClan warriors," Lightningpaw explained, "and they were invading. When they saw me, they fled, but they'd trampled over the catmint. There was only this left." He held up his blackened herb.

Swiftbreeze sighed. "That won't be worth much but if worst comes to worst, I'll need to use that." She put it into her storage.

"I can go look for more. I think I saw some near where I defeated those two apprentices of FrostClan," Lightningpaw offered immediately.

"Well, I don't want you to get sick," Swiftbreeze objected, "but then again, you have the thickest fur I've ever seen. Go ahead and find some." Lightningpaw nodded and bounded out of the Cave.

Quickly, Swiftbreeze put together a soft, warm nest for Yellowtail, who curled up gratefully. "Just go to sleep," Swiftbreeze whispered soothingly. "Lightningpaw will find catmint for you." I hope…

Lightningpaw trotted through the forest, sniffing for the enticing herb. His sharp eyes scanned the forest floor, when he saw a trail leading through the woods. At the same time, he smelled an unfamiliar but mouth-watering scent.

All thoughts of finding catmint were forgotten as he followed the trail. Then, in the small grassy meadow, he saw them. They were white with big black spots; they were shorter than deer, but far fatter. Swiftbreeze will be glad for the extra prey, he thought. He crept up onto the unsuspecting creatures and neatly brought down three of them.

As he started dragging the huge creatures back to camp, he spotted a small patch of little green shoots with an enticing scent- catmint!

He hurried back to camp, dragging the prey behind him. When he dropped them into the Cold Cave, Swiftbreeze looked up at him and asked, "What are those creatures? And I thought I told you to find catmint, not hunt!"

Lightningpaw responded, "I have no idea what these prey-creatures are, but they smelled really good."

"Always thinking with his nose," Swiftbreeze muttered under her breath.

"But I did find catmint, and it was untouched," Lightningpaw continued; at this, Swiftbreeze brightened. "And I'll go get it right now," finished Lightningpaw as he leaped out of the cave. He disappeared through the fern tunnel.

Lightningpaw trotted along briskly through the woods, relishing the feeling of the cold air on his face and the ability of being able to serve his Clan.

As the catmint came into view, so did a ThornClan warrior- Sharpclaw, one of the most feared warriors. He was rumored to be more vicious than Petalfang from SnowClan and Snakeheart from FrostClan put together. Even though Lightningpaw was a fearsome wolf, he still didn't want to fight Sharpclaw. But it was too late; Sharpclaw had spotted him.

"I see you," he growled malevolently. "Come out if you don't want me to kill your precious catmint."

Lightningpaw bared his fangs, and his neck fur bristled. "How long have you been on my territory?" he asked him furiously.

"A long time. That's how that warrior from FrostClan knew Swiftbreeze's name when he asked about the Howl Time, you know."

"You've been spying for FrostClan?!"

"For a while now."

"Well, that's over now," Lightningpaw spat. "Get off my territory now."

Sharpclaw looked up abruptly. The tone of his voice turned cold. "Make me."

Lightningpaw couldn't back down from a challenge like that. He sprang onto Sharpclaw's back. Just as he was about to land, something smacked him in the jaw, hard. Another something pinned him down and something else stuffed its tail in his jaw.

"Mmph!" Lightningpaw protested.

His vision cleared. The three somethings were all wolf warriors from ThornClan. Lightningpaw longed to be out of the trap and beating their tiny brains out, but he couldn't move, just like the dream he'd had the previous greenleaf.

Sharpclaw told him, "I think I'll keep spying. After all, all you have to try and beat me is you-" he stifled laughter here- "and you're only an apprentice. Then there's that hunter lion, Yellowtail, who could probably beat me if I were a mouse. And then there's Swiftbreeze. What use is a weak medicine lion who can only heal her hunter's whitecough if she has a specific herb?" Sharpclaw plucked one catmint plant, grinding his heel into the rest. Lightningpaw struggled more, but it was no use.

"If you want this, stop resisting and let yourself be captured. If you do that, before we take you back to camp, you can bring this catmint back to your 'Clanmates'." Lightningpaw had no idea why that was in quotes, but it was probably to make him question himself. "If not…" He made as if to crush the catmint.

"In the end, it's your choice, Lightningpaw. Save Yellowtail and let yourself be captured. Let your only chance at catmint go and save yourself. Either way will weaken your Clan. Or… you could try and attack me. But I wouldn't do that. We'd flay you and kill you, and then visit your Cold Cave to kill WaterClan too. Again, it's your choice." Lightningpaw had been considering fighting, but now he wouldn't. He would be willing to sacrifice himself for WaterClan, but the lions- and WaterClan- wouldn't survive without him.

"Don't waste my time," Sharpclaw growled. "I've got better things to do that to ultimately destroy your life."

Lightningpaw thought he pretty much summed up his choice right there.

Then a familiar voice jeered, "Cowards! You must be scared to face my son alone, because you brought your pitiful cowardly friends!"

The grip on Lightningpaw's assailants loosened and he turned to look at the voice. It was Stormstar, with Sparrowstar and Silverflame!

Feeling encouraged, he sprang to his paws and began to attack the ThornClan warriors. With a blood-curdling roar, he leapt onto Sharpclaw's back and churned his hind legs. Sharpclaw roared in pain and quickly dropped and rolled. Lightningpaw shook himself free at the last second and while Sharpclaw was still woozy from his roll, sliced up his muzzle. Sharpclaw roared again and reared up, battering Lightningpaw's head. Lightningpaw tried to slice his stomach, but Sharpclaw smacked his paw.

Lightningpaw ducked and swept out Sharpclaw's legs, and they grappled until Lightningpaw had Sharpclaw pinned. Lightningpaw twisted his legs painfully and when Sharpclaw begged him not to kill him, Lightningpaw growled, "I have spared your life, but will not hesitate to kill you if you trespass again. Do not come back. " Lightningpaw swiped his claws across Sharpclaw's muzzle and kicked him away, back towards ThornClan territory. Sharpclaw dashed across the clearing.

Lightningpaw turned to see how the MoonClan warriors were doing. Stormstar was clawing five warriors at once. As Lightningpaw watched, one by one they fled back to their own Clan.

Silverflame and Sparrowstar were having similar success. All of the ThornClan warriors had gone. The MoonClan warriors smiled and disappeared. Lightningpaw watched them go, then turned to go back to the Cold Cave. But he had a feeling he'd forgotten something.

He stopped cold and ran back. The catmint! He hoped it hadn't been crushed in battle. Yellowtail needed that scrap of herb before she developed greencough. He searched for it restlessly, obsessively, but he couldn't find it.

"Looking for something?"

Lightningpaw turned around slowly. Sharpclaw stood there, grinning maniacally. Underneath his raised paw was the catmint. His paw came down-

"Stop!" Lightningpaw cried. "No!"

Sharpclaw stopped and turned to Lightningpaw viciously. "Why shouldn't I? Isn't it in my best interests to weaken your Clan?"

"That's rivalry!" Lightningpaw snarled. "This is indirect murder!"

"I'll tell you what. I'll destroy this catmint, and I won't spy on you anymore."

"No deal! Stop!"

"No deal? I guess I'll just destroy this and keep spying on you."

Lightningpaw saw that nothing was going to stop Sharpclaw from destroying the catmint. He had no choice but to attack; without warning, he leapt silently into the air and landed squarely on Sharpclaw's shoulders, driving him away from the catmint. Sharpclaw snarled, but then cried out in pain as Lightningpaw twisted his collarbone and fractured it with a sickening crack. Then he twisted his ankles, spraining them, causing Sharpclaw to howl in pain.

Sharpclaw yowled loudly. "You- you broke my collarbone!" he whispered in disbelief.

"Yes, I did," Lightningpaw told him. "And I will not hesitate to do more damage if you keep spying on my territory."

Sharpclaw gave him one last hate-filled look and limped away to his territory.

Lightningpaw watched him go, and then glanced around for the catmint. Where did it go? Finally he found it: torn to shreds and blackened in the scuffed ground.

No.

Lightningpaw steeled himself. Even if the catmint was gone, WaterClan would still survive. He glanced around, and recognizing the pungent scent of tansy and marigold, jumped into a thornbush.

OW! He couldn't delay, though. Lightningpaw fought his way through the thorns and found a tansy plant and marigold leaves, hidden from frost by the thornbush. Feeling as though he'd failed Yellowtail, Lightningpaw grabbed the herbs and turned sharply and scooped up a small catmint leaf. He stared at it. He hadn't failed Yellowtail after all! He picked up the herbs and dashed back to the Cold Cave. Yellowtail wouldn't die. He'd make sure of that.

 **Just in case you were wondering, the black and white creatures are cows.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 | Newleaf**

Swiftbreeze scraped the last bits of tansy out of the store. It's barely leaf-bare and I'm already out of tansy! It's just the time when herbs are going bad and blackening, too.

She added some feverfew to the herbs and added a bit of honey, and then took the wrap to Yellowtail. Her condition was steadily getting worse. Her whitecough was on the verge of becoming greencough. Swiftbreeze had no intention of letting that happen. She knew that sooner or later she herself would get sick if she didn't quarantine Yellowtail in a small part of the Cold Cave, but only greencough was contagious. Besides, even if Yellowtail did get greencough, she would be continue to be cared for. Swiftbreeze didn't want to get sick, but she would not let her best friend die.

She gave the herbs to Yellowtail and checked her breathing. Her breathing hadn't quite developed into greencough yet, but without care, by the next sunrise Yellowtail would have greencough. Yellowtail's fever was increasing, so Swiftbreeze took her out of the warm moss and situated her on the cold rock. It would be more uncomfortable, but Swiftbreeze didn't want her overheating.

Swiftbreeze ate a bit of the weird black-and-white creatures that Lightningpaw had brought back. They tasted sort of weird, but it was food. At the Regional Zoo, they had been called "caows" or something like that.

Swiftbreeze broke off a tender piece of a young caow and gave it to Yellowtail. She stared at it, her eyes glazed, until she recognized the prey and ate it quickly.

Paws thumped aboveground and Lightningpaw lowered himself into the Cold Cave and explained what had happened with Sharpclaw. As he did so, Swiftbreeze fed Yellowtail the herbs that he'd found.

"Is she cured?" Lightningpaw asked anxiously.

"Almost. I've delayed the onset of greencough but she needs at least two more leaves of catmint to be fully healthy."

"Let me go to Twolegplace and find some. If I am to rebuild this Clan, I will not let my Clanmates die." Lightningpaw looked Swiftbreeze squarely in the eye, as if daring her to say no.

Swiftbreeze sighed, and responded, "It's almost dark-"

"You know I can see very well in the dark."

"Yes, I know that. As I was saying, I think you are perfectly capable of going to Twolegplace and back by morning, but, you need your rest. You've had a long day, and I still haven't treated your wounds."

"Yellowtail needs you more than I do."

"I know." Swiftbreeze sighed heavily. Lightningpaw was fiercely loyal, but she was worried he was working himself too hard. "Let me treat your wounds, and then you should take a short nap. Eat some fresh-kill too. Then you can go to Twolegplace and find catmint."

"So, at Twolegplace there are dogs-"

"What are dogs?" interrupted Lightningpaw. Swiftbreeze was explaining to Lightningpaw how Twolegplaces worked. She'd learned about them when she lived in the Regional Zoo.

"Dogs are like wolves, but smaller and less fierce. If a dog bothers you, just show them your teeth and fluff up your fur and they'll probably run away. If they pick a fight, don't worry, they're soft and untrained," Swiftbreeze explained. "Also, there are bright lights in Twolegplace and really hard rock that is the ground over there. Catmint is usually found in gardens. Gardens are little patches of soil with plants planted by Twolegs. Now go, and be safe!"

Lightningpaw bounded out of the Cold Cave and headed toward Twolegplace with a steady run. As he easily jumped streams and rocks, he thought, Yellowtail will get better. I'll see to that.

When he reached the border, he paused. Taking one last look back towards the camp, he trotted over the border and crept along toward Twolegplace.

Bright lights greeted him as he stalked along the hard, stinky ground. Lightningpaw squinted and began to sniff for catmint, but all he smelled was the stench of Thunderpaths. He sprang back, snarling, as a monster sped by, buffeting his fur. Swiftbreeze never told me about those… those… things. Lightningpaw shook out his pelt and moved on.

Finally, after being chased by monsters, howled at by Twolegs, and basically having a terrifying night, Lightningpaw reached a garden that smelled of catmint. He bunched his muscles and leaped over the fence nimbly as a deer; when he crossed the fence, a small creature came running up to him, yapping annoyingly. That must be a dog, like what Swiftbreeze told me about, thought Lightningpaw. He snarled and showed his fangs, but the dog stayed put, barking furiously.

Lightningpaw, completely unconcerned by this annoying little dog, merely swiped a hefty paw at the dog, swatting it away like a pesky fly. The dog yelped and sprang away, but came creeping back again. Is the little creature so dumb that it would really pick a fight with me? thought Lightningpaw. He bared his teeth and snarled, swiping at the dog and sank his claws into its soft flesh. Then he sank his teeth deep into the dog's scruff, causing it to bark loudly in pain.

Suddenly, a door opened and a Twoleg stood there, barking, but when he saw Lightningpaw, he yelled loudly and raced back into the den.

Lightningpaw hurriedly found the catmint (nine leaves!) and bounded back over the fence and into his own territory before the Twoleg could catch him.

"Nine leaves!" gasped Swiftbreeze when Lightningpaw showed her the catmint he had collected. "Great job!"

Lightningpaw ducked his head in embarrassment, and responded, "Yeah, but this annoying dog kept yapping at me. I taught it a lesson it will never forget."

"You didn't... kill it... did you?" asked Swiftbreeze.

Lightningpaw stared at her in shock. "I would never kill anything that isn't prey! It's against the warrior code! I just scratched its back and bit his scruff."

"Thank you for getting the catmint, Lightningpaw," whispered Yellowtail from her nest.

Lightningpaw gave her an affectionate lick on her ears and said, "I'm glad I could help."

Swiftbreeze made an herb wrap of two of the catmint leaves mixed with honey so that Yellowtail's rough throat could swallow it easier. She picked up the wrap in her jaws, careful not to swallow any of the enticing juices, and dropped it in front of Yellowtail. "Here you go, Yellowtail. Eat this and take a nap. You'll be cured by morning."

Yellowtail ate the wrap quickly and settled down for a nap.

Swiftbreeze turned to Lightningpaw. "You too, Lightningpaw. I need you to be up by dawn to hunt. That's when the nocturnal prey will most likely be still outside."

"All right." Lightningpaw turned and padded towards his thick, rabbit's-ear moss nest.

Swiftbreeze carefully put the unused catmint back into the store. She didn't know if or when greencough would strike again. Better to be prepared. She lapped a few drops from the stream, surprised at how much the water tasted like the Starpool's. The Starpool must be the source for this stream. She prayed for a dream from MoonClan and padded to her nest.

Swiftbreeze opened her eyes into the lush MoonClan forest. Silverflame padded up to her. "Swiftbreeze."

"Yes?" Swiftbreeze asked, focusing on the beautiful silver she-wolf.

"Do you remember the prophecy that Robin gave you?"

"Yes, of course. Before the warm season ends, lightning shall scorch, and lightning shall heal."

"That is important. It will shape your destiny if you try to evade it. Let the prophecy happen. You will know what it means when it comes true. Relax, Swiftbreeze. You must get through leaf-bare before the prophecy."

"Is Yellowtail completely cured?"

"Yes. There is not a trace of whitecough in her body. Swiftbreeze, take my advice and eat the caows first. They will turn into crow-food the fastest. And one more thing." Silverflame padded closer. "Soon you will have new life in your Clan. Let it happen. Do not try to resist. WaterClan shall only become strong once more when cubs come into the Clan. Lightningpaw will become a warrior soon, and a female wolf will have cubs. I cannot stress this enough. Do not resist. These cubs shall be essential." Silverflame began to fade away.

"No! Wait!" Swiftbreeze cried desperately. But she received no reply, instead waking up to the dawn in her nest.

About three moons later, the caows were gone and the deer had been eaten. Newleaf was on the air and WaterClan was feeling strong enough to move out of the Cold Cave. Swiftbreeze tucked her herbs into a large wrap; Lightningpaw made multiple trips to carry out all of the fresh-kill to the entrance of camp; and Yellowtail carefully plucked some of the softest moss for her nest in camp.

The three stood at the entrance. They hadn't been in there for three moons. Lightningpaw took a deep breath and pushed through the large ferns that covered the camp. There was a snarl and a growl, and Lightningpaw came flying back.

"What's in there?" growled Yellowtail, obviously angry that an animal would dare take over the camp.

"Two mountain lions," Lightningpaw replied, "and they look like they're mates."

"So are you going to fight them off, or trick them into going out?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"Both," Lightningpaw replied, his eyes gleaming.

Swiftbreeze bounded up the narrow, dark path that led to the top of the camp. She moved quickly and quietly, letting her black pelt blend in with the lack of light. From behind and above the leader's den, she could see the two huge mountain lions. She spotted Lightningpaw at the side and Yellowtail on the nursery. Swiftbreeze watched the lions… until they were in exactly the right spot. Then she yowled with all her might, and Lightningpaw and Yellowtail each took on one mountain lion, driving them towards each other until the mountain lions bumped heads hard.

One of them recognized Lightningpaw and they ran towards the exit. Swiftbreeze appeared there, fluffing her fur so she looked like a different lion. Her job was to make it seem like there were tons of lions in the camp. The mountain lions would already know the two warriors, so they stood in camp, blocking the mountain lions' way, arching, spitting, and hissing.

Swiftbreeze ducked into the waterfall and blocked the secret exit through the leader's den out, then she rolled in the mud and blocked them from just bounding out over the camp walls. Finally, she rolled in a patch of wild garlic near the elders' den and herded the two mountain lions out the exit. Lightningpaw and Yellowtail followed it, driving it into the mountains.

"Great job, guys!" Swiftbreeze said when they came back. "Do you have any injuries?"

Yellowtail held up her paw. "I've got a wrenched claw and a scratch down my chest."

"I have scratches all over my muzzle and a sprained hind paw," Lightningpaw informed her.

Swiftbreeze set to work fixing them. She put comfrey on Yellowtail's claw and Lightningpaw's hind paw; marigold, dried oak leaf, and soaked horsetail on the scratches; and cobweb over the deepest cuts.

"Ouch!" yelped Yellowtail.

"Sorry," Swiftbreeze apologized. "It might hurt a bit, so don't exert yourself. Lightningpaw, are you okay?" As Lightningpaw nodded, she tried to imagine him as a father of cubs, but couldn't. She shook her head. Cubs will come later, she thought.

"Lightningpaw, will you be able to go hunting and get some fresh-kill?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"Sure!" responded Lightningpaw brightly. He dashed off into the fern tunnel and into the woods, relishing the cool breeze on his face. He would be a great father, Swiftbreeze thought to herself.

Before long, Lightningpaw picked up the scent of a water vole. Dropping into a hunter's crouch, he crept up to the prey and pounced, neatly killing it. He scratched earth over it, to collect it later.

Sniffing the air, Lightningpaw caught a faint whiff of rabbit. He followed the scent, and soon found three rabbits in a small clearing, gorging themselves on roots and other vegetation. The apprentice quickly killed them, and scraped dirt and leaves over them, to collect later.

Lightningpaw trotted toward the Old Pine, where there was sure to be plenty of prey. He quickly caught three mice and two squirrels before the prey realized he was there. Even so, he snagged four more mice and two voles before the prey on that root disappeared into their burrows.

Then he caught a different scent. He quickly caught a cute rodent, but he didn't kill or hurt it. The rodent stopped struggling and looked up at Lightningpaw fearfully. Lightningpaw could feel the rodent's heart beating desperately.

Lightningpaw let the cute hamster go and continued hunting. It probably wouldn't taste good anyways.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 | Legend**

Lightningpaw was up at dawn the next day, ready for advanced battle training. Sparrowstar appeared in the clearing. "There's a meeting in MoonClan now, so could you get new moss for everyone's nests? When you're done we'll do three-on-one battle training."

"All right," Lightningpaw agreed. He tugged out the old, stinky moss into the forest, thinking about his dream.

He'd been hunting a mouse, but it had suddenly turned to a hamster. Lightningpaw had let it go in shock, but then an unfamiliar scent had tickled his nose. SnowClan! He'd bounded to the wolf, who'd been a pure white she-wolf with piercing green eyes. He'd attacked her, but something made him stop and the hamster appeared again. It'd turned into a cub, which suddenly grew up to apprentice size and asked him, "Can I chase your tail?"

Then he'd woken up. The dream had been strange, to say the least.

Lightningpaw put fresh, springy moss in all the nests and met Sparrowstar in the training hollow. Yellowtail, Swiftbreeze, and Stormstar were also there.

"Today you're going to have your first assessment," Sparrowstar told him, "and I'm assessing your instinctive fighting skills. It'll be a three-on-one mock fight, which I haven't taught you strategies for yet, but it's going to be made harder than usual. Once you take out a wolf, Swiftbreeze will heal them and they'll be back up in ten seconds. To win, you need to take out all the wolves at the same time and then fight Swiftbreeze, while at the same time keeping her away from her herbs, which are going to be on the edge of the clearing, and keeping her away from the wolves. She's going to fight dirty, too. And if one of the warriors injures you, the fight's over and you lose."

Lightningpaw quickly blunted his claws while Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze retracted theirs.

"Ready," called Swiftbreeze, "start!"

Stormstar and Sparrowstar leaped onto Lightningpaw and pinned him down. He thrashed and was suddenly almost free when Yellowtail jumped in and pretended to claw him. They were minor cuts due to Lightningpaw's wriggling, though, so Lightningpaw wasn't out. He swept her legs, and kicked his back legs out, taking out Stormstar, who'd been sneaking up behind him. He clawed both Sparrowstar and Yellowtail, slicing down Yellowtail's stomach. Stormstar got back up and swept Lightningpaw's legs, and reared up to deliver the fight-stopper. Lightningpaw swept his legs and he hit the ground hard. Lightningpaw battered Sparrowstar's head, and she was out.

Lightningpaw stomped on Stormstar's belly, slicing it, and he was out again. Lightningpaw reared up to meet Yellowtail, and they traded blows. Lightningpaw was tiring from his burst of energy taking out the other two wolves. Suddenly Sparrowstar was there and she knocked Lightningpaw down. All three wolves tried to smack Lightningpaw at the same time, but he rolled out and they were suddenly all in one spot, ready to be attacked.

Lightningpaw got them all out and swiveled to face Swiftbreeze, but she suddenly smacked him from the back and sliced his ears. While he was still lying on the ground, noting that Swiftbreeze really was fighting dirty, Swiftbreeze almost got him out by slicing down his stomach. Lightningpaw scooted back just in time and Swiftbreeze's paw passed through fur. Swiftbreeze scampered to her "herbs", but Lightningpaw was distracted. He scrambled to his paws awkwardly, but Stormstar had been healed and he attacked. Swiftbreeze was attacking too. Stormstar pinned down Lightningpaw, but Lightningpaw head-butted Stormstar and sliced up his side, getting him out again. Then Sparrowstar and Yellowtail were up again.

With a roar, Lightningpaw finally understood how to win the fight, and he dragged Swiftbreeze to the middle of the clearing to get her out. He battered her head. She fought back with slices and bites but Lightningpaw got her out. No one else could heal, so after that, it was easy to defeat the rest of the wolves. Chest heaving, Lightningpaw looked down victoriously, all his opponents defeated.

Sparrowstar got to her paws gracefully. "You realized how to win the fight," she said, eyes gleaming. "You'd be surprised how many apprentices haven't realized that the medicine lion or wolf is the one to take down first. They just keep fighting and every single one of them has been defeated, even if they finally figured it out at the end. Awesome job, Lightningpaw. You passed that assessment with flying colors. Even if you didn't take out Swiftbreeze, your fighting skills alone would've secured your victory."

"Thanks," Lightningpaw said.

"But there's one more assessment you're doing today."

"What is it?"

Sparrowstar launched herself at Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw immediately dodged. "Was that the assessment?"

"No, but you have good reflexes. This is the assessment." Sparrowstar, Stormstar, Swiftbreeze, and Yellowtail held Lightningpaw down. More MoonClan warriors appeared to hold him down. Silverflame took Sparrowstar's place; Oakfur took Swiftbreeze's place; and Cloverpaw and Mousepaw together took Yellowtail's place.

"What's going on?" Lightningpaw cried.

"Now!" called Sparrowstar. She, Swiftbreeze, and Yellowtail dove in and started tickling Lightningpaw. He couldn't resist, and soon he was squirming around, laughing hard. Suddenly, the wolves and lions disappeared and a shadow loomed over Lightningpaw.

He scrambled to his paws and looked up. "Leopardclaw?" He was still squirmy and kind of distracted and all over the place instead of focusing on one thing due to his tickling.

Leopardclaw growled, "Just try to defeat me, apprentice!" Leopardclaw was a huge MoonClan warrior and a legendary warrior. He was a legend in WaterClan. It was said that he once defeated the whole of FrostClan with only his claws and his wits, but mostly his claws. Lightningpaw's eyes stretched wide. Was he really going to have to defeat Leopardclaw to pass the assessment? He hoped not.

In an instant, Lightningpaw was pinned down and Leopardclaw had clawed his stomach open and sliced his face. He wasn't actually hurting Lightningpaw though; it was a mock fight. Lightningpaw looked helplessly to Sparrowstar on the edge of the clearing. Her blank face offered no help.

Lightningpaw was on his own.

He ducked and rolled into a tiny space that wasn't pinning him and sprang to his paws. Leopardclaw was already rearing. Lightningpaw reared to meet him, but Leopardclaw was still two tail-lengths above him. For the first time, Lightningpaw realized that there was no way he could win the fight. The best he could do was to delay his defeat.

He ducked and rolled, making himself a smaller target, and at the same time he swept out Leopardclaw's legs. But somehow Leopardclaw twisted in midair and landed on Lightningpaw, crushing the breath out of him. Lightningpaw knew there was no getting out. "I… surrender," he growled. There was no way he would say those words ever again.

Instantly Leopardclaw jumped off of Lightningpaw and helped him up. "Great job, apprentice! You're the hardest single wolf I've ever fought! That duck-and-roll move was so slippery!"

Lightningpaw sighed inwardly with relief. If Leopardclaw himself was complimenting Lightningpaw, then he'd probably passed the assessment.

Sure enough, Sparrowstar came up and chimed, "That was the greatest fighting display I've ever seen! You pass this assessment and the next twenty after it! Honestly, I was expecting you to give up once Leopardclaw pinned you the first time, but you escaped! You're better than me at fighting now! Can you teach me that?"

Lightningpaw was jostled and complimented by everyone in the clearing. Once everyone had gone back to MoonClan and the two lions were cleaning up, Stormstar and Quailfur appeared.

"That was amazing, Son!" Stormstar complimented. "You're getting so good at fighting that I'll bet once you're full-grown, you'll beat Leopardclaw easily!"

"Yes. Everyone was giving their strength to Leopardclaw, too," Quailfur revealed. "That's why he was so huge and strong. Great job, Lightningpaw! You'll be a warrior soon!"

His parents faded away, but Lightningpaw felt warm, happy, and content. He'd be a warrior soon! Soon, WaterClan would be back to its former glory.

Suddenly his mood turned dark. FrostClan will pay for what they've done, he thought darkly. There is no forgiving for a crime like that. Snowstar will regret that she ever decided to invade my Clan.

Swiftbreeze woke up sweating in her nest. It was hot and stuffy. Greenleaf's almost here, she thought, stretching and yawning.

She was interrupted by sounds of yowling. Swiftbreeze listened to what was going on. She couldn't figure it out.

Silence.

Yellowtail walked into the medicine den. "Lightningpaw got injured," she reported. "I think it's something related to a thorn."

Swiftbreeze laughed. "Did he step in one?" she asked, getting up and walking out.

Yellowtail walked with her. "I don't know, but he's sure making a big deal out of it." The yowling had been replaced by whimpers.

Swiftbreeze located the sound and tracked it to a large thornbush right below the leader's den, which had Lightningpaw-shaped footprints in the dust. Swiftbreeze leaned over the bush. "How did you get in here?" she asked the whimpering ball of fur. Lightningpaw's thick winter coat was being replaced by a slightly thinner summer coat, so the thorns must've pierced his skin.

"I wanted to go in the waterfall to get the dust out of my pelt but I slipped and fell in this bush," Lightningpaw mumbled, embarrassed.

Swiftbreeze tried not to laugh as she carefully pushed the thornbush apart so Lightningpaw could walk out. His pelt was covered in thorns. Most of them were just stuck in his fur, but five of them had pierced his skin: two in his pads, two in his flank, and one in the thick skin right above his stomach. One of the flank thorns had blood trickling out. "All right, come on over to the medicine den and I'll get you fixed up before training," Swiftbreeze ordered.

Sparrowstar appeared in the clearing. "Where's Lightningpaw? It's past dawn."

"He had an argument with a thornbush," Yellowtail explained as Swiftbreeze plucked the thorns out, using a bit of moss to stop the bleeding in one of them.

Swiftbreeze came over. "I think he'll be fine. If you're feeling up to it, Lightningpaw, could you get some honey from the beehive past the Cold Cave? I'm running low and I think we all deserve a honey treat. It's optional, though, if you don't want to get stung. If you do, I have plenty of dock."

"I'll do it!" Lightningpaw announced instantly.

"Are you sure? What if you get stung in one of your thorn wounds?"

"I'll survive, don't worry," Lightningpaw laughed. "Besides, honey sounds really good today." He didn't mention that after his embarrassing fall, he wanted to try and get some respect back. He knew the lions still respected him, but he didn't really respect himself. Risking bee stings for honey that could soothe a wolf's throat seemed like the perfect way to respect himself again.

The female lions probably didn't have that urge. It was probably because Lightningpaw was a male wolf that he was so willing to risk bee stings. They were tiny, but Lightningpaw was prepared to admit that they did hurt like crazy if he had more than two.

"All right," Swiftbreeze said. "Have fun!" Lightningpaw disappeared into the woods.

He trotted towards the Cold Cave and leaped gracefully over the log, heading towards a low-hanging branch with a beehive swinging in the wind. He slowed down and quieted his footsteps, careful not to alarm the bees. Then, fast as lightning, he stole some honeycomb with gooey honey along with it and shot away as fast as his paws could take him.

He wasn't fast enough. The bees stung him five times, but they were all in his tough flank and he didn't really notice the hurt. He jumped over the log to the Cold Cave and the bees suddenly stopped pursuing him. Lightningpaw panted, pushing through the ferns to camp. Swiftbreeze was there immediately, expertly pulling out the stings, rubbing dock over them, and wrapping up the honey so it wouldn't ooze out.

"Great job, Lightningpaw! This is a lot! I'll have all the honey I need for the next twelve seasons!" Swiftbreeze broke off some honeycomb and gave it to Lightningpaw. "Here. You earned this." She gave some of the more liquidy honey to herself and Yellowtail and then wrapped the rest up in a large leaf.

Sparrowstar shimmered into existence in the clearing. "Ready for training?" she asked Lightningpaw, who quickly ate the rest of his honeycomb.

"I'm ready!" he said enthusiastically. "What are we doing today?"

"We'll be doing border patrol, and then Leopardclaw is coming from MoonClan to teach you some of his techniques." Her eyes gleamed.

"His secret techniques?!" Lightningpaw gawked in disbelief, his eyes stretching wide. "He's never told those to anyone, ever!"

"He thinks you show promise. You'll be the first wolf to ever equal Leopardclaw's skill in fighting. Your final assessment will include battling him again, by the way. I expect you to beat him."

For a second, Lightningpaw felt overwhelmed that Sparrowstar wanted him to beat Leopardclaw; then he remembered that Leopardclaw would be teaching him.

"I will, don't worry." But for the first time, he did worry. He was destined to save WaterClan, and MoonClan had given him advantages, but what if he wasn't up to the task? What if WaterClan collapsed because of him?

He gave himself a shake and headed out of camp for border patrol. If WaterClan did collapse (which it wouldn't), it wouldn't be because of him. He would give his last breath, he would die fighting to save WaterClan. Nothing else mattered but the future of his Clan.

Border patrol concluded without incident, and Lightningpaw sat in the training hollow, gathering his strength and his focus for Leopardclaw's training session. Sparrowstar suddenly appeared in the clearing, bringing Leopardclaw with her. "Hi, Lightningpaw," she greeted. "Leopardclaw, I hope you teach him a lot. Lightningpaw's better than me at fighting now!"

Leopardclaw's massive bulk was thrown into shadow from where he stood. His deep voice rumbled, "Lightningpaw will learn a lot, if he is up to the task."

This sounded too much like a challenge to Lightningpaw. "I am ready," he growled. Sparrowstar stepped off to the side of the clearing.

"Prove it," Leopardclaw growled, and leaped at Lightningpaw. He ducked and rolled, but Leopardclaw was ready.

Lightningpaw's most difficult, and most important, training session had begun.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 | Danger**

Lightningpaw circled Leopardclaw, watching for any signs of attack. The two wolves had been mock fighting for a while, and Lightningpaw was exhausted. Leopardclaw, on the other hand, looked energized. Suddenly, he leapt, and Lightningpaw was too tired to dodge. He was pinned to the ground. Lightningpaw relaxed his chest, ready to give up, when he felt Leopardclaw's grip loosen, ready for his surrender.

Lightningpaw felt a new surge of adrenaline. Never! I will NEVER surrender! He'd made that promise to himself when Leopardclaw beat him the first time. Using his strength alone, Lightningpaw surged upward, rearing, and threw Leopardclaw off. Despite the unexpected move, Leopardclaw landed on his paws and tackled Lightningpaw. They grappled, neither wolf gaining the upper hand, until finally they both broke loose at the same time.

"Truce," Lightningpaw heard himself say, his voice ragged from exertion.

"Yes, truce," Leopardclaw agreed. His voice sounded rich, as if he had just eaten a particularly good fish. He didn't sound tired at all. "I suppose I do have to train you instead of just sparring. Great job, by the way. You were much better than yesterday."

Lightningpaw glowed with pride. He still couldn't believe that he was being trained personally by Leopardclaw- the legendary Leopardclaw. Sparrowstar had gone back to MoonClan, figuring that Leopardclaw and Lightningpaw could handle themselves (she was reluctant to admit this, however, insisting that "male wolves can't even walk without she-wolves around").

Leopardclaw continued, "Go get a drink from the stream, and then I'll show you one of my favorite techniques."

Lightningpaw trotted to the stream, his muscle fatigue suddenly not mattering anymore.

By the end of the training session, it was afternoon, and Lightningpaw could grapple Leopardclaw for much longer without being forced into some sort of uncomfortable position. Leopardclaw had left for MoonClan, telling Lightningpaw to be at the training hollow by dawn, and now Lightningpaw was hunting. He stalked along the stream, hunting for water voles, when he realized that the stream was much, much lower than usual: almost one tail-length below its usual bank. There was only a half tail-length's worth of water left in the deepest part of the stream.

Lightningpaw finished hunting quickly, his uneasy feeling growing as he passed the clump of watermint, usually lush and mouth-wateringly minty. Today, however, it was wilted and starting to brown. Lightningpaw hurried into camp and deposited his prey onto the full fresh-kill pile; Yellowtail must've gone hunting.

Swiftbreeze came out of her den. "Lightningpaw, have you noticed the unusual dryness?"

"Yes, I have. I hope it's just a small dry spell; a drought is the last thing we need in the heat of greenleaf."

Swiftbreeze was struck by the fact that Lightningpaw somehow seemed bigger and much more mature than Sharpclaw or any other wolf she'd met. "The pool of water in the medicine den has dried up, and I fear that my herbs will shrivel. All the herbs I've seen in the forest have been nibbled or withered."

"If the medicine den has dried, that's bad," Lightningpaw said in a tone somewhere between stating facts and being worried. "I'll check to see if the Cold Cave river has dried." He bounded to the cave and jumped in. The cold air felt good on his sweaty face, and he stood still for a few heartbeats, letting the chill cool him down. Then he padded to the river. It hadn't changed in the slightest, and the cool water looked so inviting…

Lightningpaw shook himself. He couldn't swim in what might be WaterClan's only source of fresh water for a while, not when he was all sweaty and dirty. He wouldn't drink from it, since the water was from the Starpool and was enchanted to make him sleep and enter MoonClan. Lightningpaw sprang up out of the Cold Cave and dashed through the entrance of camp, nearly knocking down Yellowtail.

"Sorry, Yellowtail!" he called, skidding to a halt. He quickly filled the lions in on the dry spell and the Cold Cave.

Yellowtail's golden tail curled up in amusement. "Does this mean that we might have to move to the Cold Cave again in greenleaf?"

"It might," speculated Swiftbreeze. "But we should wait until we're sure that we need to before we actually move."

"I agree," Lightningpaw said.

Swiftbreeze let out a shriek as she was cornered by the shadows. Lightningpaw sprang to help her, but was restrained by more of the shadows. As he watched, horrified, Swiftbreeze fought valiantly but was overpowered soon. She faded into a shadow, and soon Lightningpaw couldn't tell her from the other shadows.

Yellowtail had the same thing happen to her. They abruptly swung around to face Lightningpaw. With a shared, creepy voice, they rasped, "Give up now, Lightningpaw. You know you cannot rebuild your Clan, so why bother?"

The worst part was that Lightningpaw found himself believing the shadows. He knew he shouldn't, but he did. His mind became a traitor, determined to help the shadows. And his body stopped resisting. He became one of the shadows.

Lightningpaw woke drenched in sweat. For the past half-moon, he'd been having disturbing nightmares, all of them ending in his Clan- and himself- becoming shadows. Becoming evil. He calmed himself, and then climbed out of his nest. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so he got a drink from the shrinking stream and lay down on the flat rocks to wait for dawn.

Once Lightningpaw saw the rosy pink rays of the sun peeking over the forest, he gulped down a mouse, had a bit more water, and padded to the training hollow to wait for Leopardclaw and Sparrowstar.

Leopardclaw arrived with rumpled fur and a disturbed look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Lightningpaw asked.

"Nothing," sighed Leopardclaw tiredly. "I just had dreams… nightmares."

"I did too," Lightningpaw said. "About shadows attacking, and me becoming one of the shadows."

"Really?" Leopardclaw began to look more awake. "That's exactly what my dream was, too."

"Is something terrible going to happen?" Lightningpaw asked. He knew that dreams often foretold the future, although he'd honestly never had one himself.

"I wouldn't know. My talent has never been interpreting dreams. When we're done training, maybe you can ask Swiftbreeze if she had something like that. I hear she's quite good at the dream thing." With that, training started, this session even more exhausting and educational than the first.

When Lightningpaw returned to camp that day, he found Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze talking anxiously.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"The stream has completely dried up," Yellowtail explained. "We're pretty sure that unless we get a good rainstorm, we'll have to move to the Cold Cave."

"But if we do move to the Cold Cave, and a rainstorm comes during the night, which they usually do, we'll be flooded and if we're sleepy and not alert, we could be seriously injured or drown," Swiftbreeze countered. "You're the unofficial leader of WaterClan, Lightningpaw. Do you think we should go?"

Lightningpaw thought about that. "We'll go, but we'll keep a watch outside as much as we can, and if we see clouds moving in, we'll move to the leader's den and bring lots of wet moss with us. The den's high up, so we shouldn't get flooded. Leopardclaw will understand if I don't train quite as often."

Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail glanced at each other, both thinking, Lightningpaw is the only one who can jump up there; but they both agreed to his plan, and Yellowtail gathered fresh-kill to move to the Cold Cave while Swiftbreeze carefully bundled the last of her non-shriveled herbs. Lightningpaw packed up the earth around the entrance to the Cold Cave to make it harder to flood, and dug out a drainage channel right below the entrance so that if it did flood, the water wouldn't get to the Clan's main chambers.

Soon, WaterClan's camp was empty again, with the lions and Lightningpaw snuggled into the soft rabbit's-ear moss. Swiftbreeze lifted her head. "Remember, don't drink from the river unless you really have to. Go outside at morning and lick the dew from the leaves. The river will make you sleepy and give you dreams. If you really, really have to get a drink, put it in a bowl-shaped rock and wait for it to evaporate; then lick the water vapor from the ceiling of the Cave when it condenses. Got that?"

Yellowtail and Lightningpaw nodded.

"All right. Go to sleep now so you can wake up early to get the leaves' dew." She padded over to the river and drank some, and then settled down in the moss next to Yellowtail. Lightningpaw did the same, hoping that the Starpool water would help to stop his nightmares.

Everyone in the Cold Cave had different dreams. Swiftbreeze met Silverflame in MoonClan; Yellowtail dreamed about hunting an elusive mouse that escaped her grasp; Lightningpaw dreamed of the shadows again, but this time he fought back; and a mouse in the Cold Cave dreamed of managing to escape a hungry wolf by growing large and clawing its flank.

All of the dreams were important, including the mouse's.

Swiftbreeze padded along MoonClan. She couldn't find anyone. Suddenly, the trees rotted to black and the stench of rotting crow-food filled the air.

"Silverflame!" Swiftbreeze cried desperately. "Sparrowstar! Stormstar! Help!"

No one came to help her. Suddenly, huge wolves with razor-sharp claws slunk out of the shadows. Their faces were all the same: a mask of cruelty. Swiftbreeze was trapped against a blackened tree. She noticed that the warriors' faces were ringed with frost.

FrostClan.

Yellowtail's face stared at her, a solid mask of cruelty.

Swiftbreeze suddenly could move, and she shot up the tree like a squirrel. Her bulk made the tree sway, but the warriors knew that they couldn't climb without bringing the tree down on themselves.

Then strong paws lifted her to safety, and Swiftbreeze gazed up into Silverflame's face. She was in MoonClan, with its lush trees.

"Where was I?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"That was the Dark Forest," Silverflame replied. "Beware the shadows. They will attack."

Swiftbreeze woke with her heart thudding desperately in the middle of the night, hearing Silverflame's warning echoing in her head. Beware the shadows.

Yellowtail carefully stalked the mouse. She couldn't let it go, for the mouse was the last prey in the forest. But it sensed her, and scooted away, just out of her grasp. Finally, Yellowtail caught it, but the mouse was snatched and eaten by a shadow. Yellowtail looked up at the thief; he was a dark-hearted version of Leopardclaw. Leopardclaw pounced on Yellowtail, fading to a dark blur that Yellowtail could see through.

She saw the WaterClan camp taken over by the shadows; she saw Lightningpaw and Swiftbreeze willingly serving the shadows like slaves.

"This is WaterClan's future," Leopardclaw hissed. "Do not resist. There is nothing you can do about it."

Yellowtail woke with the certainty that Lightningpaw would rebuild WaterClan, whatever it took, but as she remembered her dream, she wasn't quite so sure. And then she realized that the shadows all had the distinctive body shape of FrostClan.

Lightningpaw leaped at the shadow attacking Swiftbreeze. He tore it off of her. She gasped and joined the fight, but with a skip of his heart, Lightningpaw realized that she was fighting against him. Lightningpaw grappled with the shadow, but it suddenly had a face.

It was Sparrowstar.

Lightningpaw released Sparrowstar in shock, watching the other shadows. They were all former warriors of WaterClan, turned against him. They had become FrostClan.

Remembering Quailfur's story that she'd told him in the nursery, Lightningpaw realized that the shadows were Dark Forest warriors.

Lightningpaw yowled fearfully to the new moon and raced out of camp. The mountain lion reared over him.

Suddenly Lightningpaw wasn't sure if the lions across from him were enemies or allies.

The mouse squeaked in terror and raced away from the shadow pursuing it. Suddenly, the mouse grew ten times in size and defeated its shadow, but then more came. They all had FrostClan scent, and they were all dark. They had WaterClan faces, though the mouse had no way of knowing this.

When the mouse woke up, it was groggy, and then it forgot its dream.

By dawn, all of WaterClan had had a dream that made them unsure if their allies really were allies. Swiftbreeze woke first, giving Yellowtail an unsure look, and then realizing how ridiculous that was. Yellowtail would be innocent until proven guilty. She wasn't going to doubt her loyalty because of some silly dream!

"Wake up, WaterClan!" Swiftbreeze called. "Wake up early and get some fresh water! Come on!"

Lightningpaw sprang up. He suddenly distrusted Swiftbreeze, remembering how she'd betrayed him in his dream. Then he remembered how loyal she'd been in real life. There was no reason for her to betray him. Still, he felt uneasy until he remembered that the dream had been sent to him by the Dark Forest. They probably wanted him to turn against his Clanmates.

Yellowtail had never really had a strong connection from dreams to real life, but suddenly she believed that her mouse dream was telling the truth. Could Leopardclaw and her Clanmates really be trusted? She shook the ridiculous idea out of her mind. Her subconscious was messing with her. WaterClan was going to be rebuilt and her Clanmates were loyal. Anyways, if Leopardclaw was planning on betraying them, which seemed very unlikely, then Lightningpaw could handle him. She'd heard that Lightningpaw could beat Leopardclaw in mock fights now.

The FrostClan section of the Dark Forest hissed in frustration. The dreams had not worked. WaterClan now trusted each other more than ever. Well, then. They could wait for the invasion without warning. The Frost Forest could easily take down two warriors and a medicine lion. They would clear the way for the living FrostClan to take over the WaterClan territory.

Who cared about "balance" in the Clans? As long as FrostClan was supreme, the Frost Forest was content.

And contentness was not something that the Frost Forest really liked, anyways.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Thanks to the one person who reviewed and the couple people who favorited the story! Please review & enjoy!**

 **Chapter 11 | Disaster**

"Flood!" howled Lightningpaw. "Everybody out! Yellowtail, grab fresh-kill and Swiftbreeze, get your herbs! We need to get to the leader's den!"

The two lions instantly sprang up. It was just past midnight and they could already hear the water sweeping towards them, could see the river overflowing. The lions grabbed supplies while Lightningpaw soaked moss balls in the river. They climbed out of the Cold Cave and were devastated at what they saw. A huge wall of water swept towards them. The whole camp and most of the forest was flooded; only the leader's den was dry, despite the roaring waterfall. It would be hard to get there from the slippery path, but harder if they delayed.

Swiftbreeze screamed as hail splattered her ears; she dashed for the path up to the den. Yellowtail and Lightningpaw followed her, flattening their ears against the hail. She tried to jump from boulder to boulder, but the boulders were far apart, accessible only to Lightningpaw, and missed the boulder by about three fox-lengths. Terrified, she churned her legs, trying to go farther, but she only quickened her fall.

Swiftbreeze gasped as water gushed into her mouth, and was swept away by the current. She nearly drowned as the panicking Yellowtail (who had also fallen) was washed on top of her. "Lightningpaw, HELP!" Swiftbreeze screamed. She looked up to see if Lightningpaw had seen them, but was dragged under the water as an enormous wave crashed over her. As Swiftbreeze struggled to get to the surface, a strong current swept her away. She couldn't breathe, and couldn't move; and by now, she had lost all her herbs.

Lightningpaw had seen the lions fall into the flood, and had heard their cry for help. Quickly thinking, he leapt into the water and strongly swam (he absolutely loved swimming) to the nearest lion, who turned out to be Yellowtail. Grasping her by the scruff, he dragged her head above water and struggled to keep it there.

Nearby, he saw Swiftbreeze being swept away, not even struggling. Oh no, he thought. Is she… she couldn't be… dead? But then he saw her feebly struggling to keep her head above water, and thought, Not yet. More determined than ever to keep her alive, he paddled as fast as he could (which was very fast for a wolf like Lightningpaw) to Swiftbreeze, and draped her over his back, while still trying to keep Yellowtail's head above water.

Lightningpaw desperately paddled to a boulder that was still sticking up above water and scrambled on top of it. Then he readjusted his grip on Yellowtail and grabbed hold of Swiftbreeze's scruff, using his large, broad jaws to his advantage. Bunching his strong muscles, he leapt from boulder to boulder, finally reaching the leader's den.

Lightningpaw gently laid the two lions down on the dry floor, and quickly began to pump their chests up and down to get rid of the water in their bodies. Finally, Swiftbreeze's body heaved, and water came gurgling from her mouth, until it came gushing out. Then her whole body relaxed, and she began breathing normally. Lightningpaw breathed a sigh of relief and licked her between the ears. Then he focused on helping Yellowtail, who was now stirring on the ground. He pumped her chest, and soon she too coughed up water and began to breathe steadily.

Lightningpaw explored the den and found fresh moss growing on the walls. He plucked some off and made dry, comfortable nests for Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail. Then, he began to lick the lion's fur to dry it, just as mother would to a newborn cub.

As soon as Lightningpaw began to lick Swiftbreeze, she awoke, and mumbled tiredly, "Where am I?" Then she saw Lightningpaw and jumped to her feet; "Thank you so much Lightningpaw! You saved my life!" Lightningpaw just looked at his paws, embarrassed about this sudden burst of praise, and replied, "You're welcome. I don't know what I would do without you two. You are my Clanmates, and I would rather die than see you two die." Swiftbreeze purred in affection and reached up to lick Lightningpaw's ears, realizing that he was now about two mouse-lengths taller than her.

As Swiftbreeze glanced around the cave, she caught sight of Yellowtail, sprawled on the ground. She immediately rushed over to her, and saw that her friend had been injured. And I don't have my herbs anymore, she thought with a moan.

Lightningpaw looked up and asked, "What's the matter?"

Swiftbreeze replied, "Yellowtail has been injured, and I don't have any herbs. The wounds aren't serious, but could get infected, which would be bad. I don't know what to do."

Lightningpaw sat thinking for a moment, then exclaimed, "Now I remember! There is a secret tunnel that leads from the leader's den to the medicine wolf's den! It's right over there; the boulder is loose!" He raced towards a rather large boulder near the back of the den, and tried to shove it out of the way using his broad shoulders. Finally, the boulder rolled out of the way, and Lightningpaw said to Swiftbreeze, "This tunnel leads to your den. Do you want to go?"

Swiftbreeze nodded, and began to walk cautiously down the narrow tunnel. It was dark, so she depended more on her sense of touch than her sight. The cave had a musty, old smell, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

After walking through the cave for what seemed like seasons, Swiftbreeze heard the roaring of the flood and smelled her precious herbs. She quickened her pace excitedly, and entered her den through a small hole in the wall, hidden by ferns and moss. Only a small trickle of water was in the den, due to the fact that a large rock protected the entrance.

Quickly, Swiftbreeze picked out some marigold, cobwebs, and various other herbs to take back to Yellowtail. Taking a deep breath of clean air, she padded hurriedly through the tunnel, back to her friends.

When Swiftbreeze got back, Yellowtail was in a very weak state, and was shivering and coughing. Swiftbreeze assessed the situation at once and then started rubbing her fur the wrong way. "Lightningpaw," she called, "could you make a warmer, thicker nest for Yellowtail?"

Lightningpaw nodded curtly and quickly scraped the softest, thickest moss he could find together for her and then lay down on it to warm it up. Soon it was very warm and Swiftbreeze supported Yellowtail to the nest. Yellowtail lay down on it gratefully.

Yellowtail quickly stopped shivering, but she was still very cold and weak. Swiftbreeze realized that something was very wrong. She frowned worriedly. "Cough for me, Yellowtail," she instructed.

Yellowtail forced out a cough. It was ragged and sick. "You've got whitecough, Yellowtail," Swiftbreeze sighed.

Yellowtail coughed. "Again?" She coughed again. "It's greenleaf! I don't get whitecough in greenleaf-" She broke off into a fit of coughing again.

"You do have whitecough in greenleaf," Swiftbreeze snapped firmly, a little more angrily than she'd intended. "Lightningpaw, you know what catmint smells like. Find some if there is any."

Lightningpaw gave a short nod, understanding that the situation was dire if Swiftbreeze was being snappy. He searched through the herbs efficiently and quickly extracted all the catmint.

Which turned out to be not very much.

Lightningpaw gave Swiftbreeze one shriveled, soaked catmint leaf, probably gathered the last leaf-fall. Swiftbreeze looked at it in dismay. "That's probably not going to be enough."

"Do you want me to look for some more?" Lightningpaw offered.

Swiftbreeze bit her lip, thinking. "Usually I would say no, but I can't afford greencough right now… sure. Go get some and be safe!"

Swiftbreeze listened to Yellowtail's breathing and coughing again. She was getting suspicious that this wasn't whitecough but something much more deadly. Swiftbreeze had only heard of it but she knew that this disease was the reason that lions had died out of the Clans seasons and seasons ago.

Redcough.

Yellowtail had another coughing spurt. This time, blood came up as well, probably from a small tear in her throat. Yes, it was definitely redcough. Redcough was highly contagious and almost always fatal, but Swiftbreeze wasn't leaving her friend for anything.

Swiftbreeze felt panic grow. Redcough had no known cure, so all she could do was provide Yellowtail with a warm nest, warm fresh-kill, and cool water and hope she got over it herself.

 _The Frost Forest grinned maliciously. WaterClan was weak. Soon FrostClan would invade. But they didn't have a chance to tell FrostClan to do so, for MoonClan invaded the Dark Forest._

Lightningpaw pounded through the forest, thinking, Yellowtail will get better. I'll see to that.

The water had only reached a small portion of the forest; the river had flooded, but not much. Good, thought Lightningpaw, now less catmint will have been destroyed. But as he thoroughly searched the territory, looking under bushes, rocks, and logs, he could find no catmint. However, he didn't give up, and searched some more.

No catmint was to be found. Disappointed, Lightningpaw plodded back to camp; near the Old Pine, a MoonClan she-lion appeared, and murmured, "Don't be afraid of me, Lightningpaw. My name is Amberfur. I once lived in WaterClan. You know that lions once lived here once also, right?" Lightningpaw nodded, and she continued, "Yellowtail has the sickness that wiped out all the lions from the Clans, redcough." At this, Lightningpaw's eyes widened in horror.

"Will she… die?" he whispered.

Amberfur responded, "No, if you act quickly. We, MoonClan, know the herbs necessary to cure this contagious disease. Here is a leaf wrap with the herbs inside it. It is mostly consisted of catmint, but there are other herbs, like rose and marigold. Also take this," she said as she handed Lightningpaw a fuzzy ball of reddish fruit. "Tell Yellowtail to eat this also. She will not like it, but it will help her. Every day, she needs to eat this fruit and the herbs all at once. Come back here for more everyday until she is healed. Good luck!" Amberfur called, and vanished back to MoonClan.

Lightningpaw blinked, and wondered, Did I really just talk to a MoonClan lion? Then he shook his head. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that he give the herbs to Yellowtail as soon as possible.

As he bounded through the fern tunnel, he heard Amberfur's voice in his head. This disease is caught only by lions. Swiftbreeze could catch it, if she takes care of Yellowtail any longer. You must heal her, alone.

What if Swiftbreeze gets it? Lightningpaw thought.

She won't, if you act quickly. Then her voice was gone, and Lightningpaw charged through the fern tunnel and bounded up the boulders to where the lions were waiting.

Swiftbreeze looked up, noticed the fruit and leaf wrap in Lightningpaw's jaws, and asked, "What's that? And-"

"Move," Lightningpaw demanded. Swiftbreeze, shocked by the urgency in his voice, backed away. Quickly, Lightningpaw nudged Yellowtail and whispered, "Wake up. I have herbs that will heal you."

Yellowtail raised her head at the sound of his voice, and obediently ate the herbs and fruit, wrinkling her nose at the bitter, unfamiliar tastes. "What is that stuff?" she wondered.

"I don't know, but it will heal you."

"How do you know?" asked Swiftbreeze, seeming a little testy.

Lightningpaw dipped his head respectfully. "Sorry about how I talked to you. Let me explain. So, I was looking for catmint, and I tore apart the territory looking for some. I couldn't find any; then this MoonClan lion named Amberfur appeared to me by the Old Sycamore and gave me this stuff. I don't know what was in it; I think it had some catmint, marigold, and rose. I'm sorry I snapped at you. She told me that this disease, redcough, affects only lions, not wolves. I don't want you to get sick, so I am the only one who can doctor Yellowtail."

Swiftbreeze nodded, and murmured, "I forgive you, Lightningpaw. Thank you for your care about me."

Eight sunrises later, Yellowtail was completely cured of redcough, and the floodwater was completely gone. Now, it was very hot and dry, and Lightningpaw, with his thick fur, was nearly dying from the heat. He spent most of the day swimming in the cool stream and catching fish.

One day, when the sky was overcast and WaterClan was relaxing in the cooler weather, a sudden bolt of dry lightning came hurtling down and struck a redwood tree, not far from the camp. The tree, dry from the heat, immediately burst into flame, setting off a forest fire.

Swiftbreeze just gaped in astonishment; Yellowtail stood numbly with her tail between her legs; Lightningpaw felt that he would die from the sudden heat. He yelled, "Everyone, get into the river!" The two lions escaped their numb state, and the three charged into the middle of the shallow river.

Flames were leaping everywhere, setting the WaterClan camp on fire; then, as soon as it had begun, rain came pouring down from the thick, gray clouds, quenching the fire.

When the rain stopped, Lightningpaw, Swiftbreeze, and Yellowtail just stared at the destruction surrounding them. Trees were charred and black; bushes and undergrowth were burned to ash. Swiftbreeze broke the deadly silence. "Our… our home. It's… gone."

Swiftbreeze felt sick. The prophecy had started; she was sure of it. She told her theory to Yellowtail and Lightningpaw. "Before the warm season ends, lightning shall scorch, and lightning shall heal. The 'lightning shall scorch' bit has happened; now the only bit left is 'lightning shall heal'."

"You're right," Lightningpaw realized. "Oh, no. Prophecies mean that either something really bad is going to happen, or that we won't have any control over our destinies."

"Not necessarily, but for this one, that's probably right," Yellowtail said. "That's really, really bad."

 _The Frost Forest began to push MoonClan back. This was their hunting ground, and MoonClan had no right to invade. But then again, the Frost Forest had no right to meddle with WaterClan, either._

But the Frost Forest didn't always play by the rules. They made their own.

"Hold on a second," Swiftbreeze said. " 'Lightning shall heal'. What if that means… Lightningpaw?"

Yellowtail was thunderstruck, but she realized that had to be right. "Yeah! The lightning destroyed our camp, but Lightningpaw can heal WaterClan! That's his destiny- to heal WaterClan!"

"I guess that's right," Lightningpaw said modestly. "However, we shouldn't try to meddle with our destinies. That usually ends badly. But I think we have another problem. I had a dream where shadows took over the camp and made WaterClan traitors."

"I had a dream like that!" said Yellowtail.

"So did I," agreed Swiftbreeze.

 _MoonClan had defeated the Frost Forest - for now. The Frost Forest had no intention of giving up its plans for the living FrostClan to become supreme. But not right now. First, it needed to weaken WaterClan. The Frost Forest listened to WaterClan's conversation and realized that WaterClan knew about the dreams. They would have to be more creative than they thought._

 _By "creative", they meant "destructive". Why not just take the offense and weaken WaterClan now? Why not eliminate WaterClan... with their claws?_

WaterClan finished discussing their dreams. "So I think that the dreams were given to us by the Dark Forest," Lightningpaw explained. "Quailfur told me about them while I was in the nursery. They're trying to turn us against each other. I don't know why, though."

By then, night had fallen. "Let's continue the discussion at morning," Swiftbreeze suggested. "We should all get some sleep after the flood."

 _The Frost Forest pushed its way into the world of the living and tried to claw the sleeping figures - but their paws passed right through them. They were in the living world, but they existed on a different dimension than actual living beings. With an angry hiss, the Frost Forest realized that while MoonClan could touch living beings, they themselves could not._

 _This put a kink in the Frost Forest's plans. They would have to wait for later. But sooner or later, the Frost Forest would eliminate WaterClan._

 _It was only a matter of time._

That night, no one in WaterClan had disturbing dreams. Yellowtail dreamed of stalking a mouse, but no shadows interrupted. Lightningpaw dreamed of being leader of WaterClan, but none of his Clanmates betrayed him. Swiftbreeze dreamed of picking luscious herbs and saving her Clan, but shadows did not appear and stomp on the herbs.

It appeared that the Frost Forest had given up, or were leaving WaterClan alone.

The next morning, Lightningpaw stretched in his nest, and then padded out into the burned camp, careful not to disturb the sleeping lions.

The three had gone out to explore the damage earlier, but now Lightningpaw could see the worst of the damage. In some places, the fire had actually burned into the ground. Flammable dirt, Lightningpaw thought. The damage was worse than he had thought. But Lightningpaw refused to get discouraged. If I sort of twist that branch there, then by next greenleaf the leaves will cover the warriors' den… and I can patch the apprentices' den with leaves, and the elders' den can be relocated to that hollow log over there… And the medicine den is pretty untouched.

It was the nursery that he was worried about. The sturdy bush that the nursery had once been was now… gone. Lightningpaw couldn't even tell where it had used to be; he only knew now because he'd spent half his life there, and because there was an empty space between the stone dirtplace tunnel and the medicine den. The nursery couldn't simply be relocated like the elders' den, for there were no more empty spaces around the side of the clearing. Lightningpaw's mind began to form a plan. He could drape bramble from right above the dirtplace tunnel and support it with willow twigs, and then cover the whole thing with leaves and bracken… yes, that could work.

The lions, yawning, jumped into the clearing. "Wow," breathed Yellowtail, "it's really destroyed, isn't it."

"Yeah," Lightningpaw agreed, turning. "I think I can repair most of the damage, though."

"Well, the sooner the better," Swiftbreeze said, getting down to business quickly. "How much do you think we can do today?"

Lightningpaw looked around. "I think… we can probably do the fern tunnel and the warriors' den today."

"Alright," Yellowtail said crisply, "let's do it!"

Yellowtail carefully held the branch of the warriors' den in place. "How's this?" she called to Lightningpaw.

Lightningpaw looked at it from the base of the bush. "Perfect." He sat on the base of the branch, twisting it into place.

Swiftbreeze came up, holding a ridiculously large bundle of leaves. "I got all the leaves that I could find."

"Okay, start patching!" Lightningpaw called. The lions started weaving twigs and leaves into the blackened bush structure while Lightningpaw went inside the den to weave twigs from the inside, trim pokey leaves, and make sure the area would be big and cozy. The den took a while, but by the time they finished, the warriors' den was large and spacious. It wouldn't leak, and the structure made it so if the first layer burned off, the next layers would retain moisture and wouldn't burn so easily. Yellowtail brought in the softest moss from the Cold Cave for her nest. It was sunhigh by the time the warriors' den was finished. Lightningpaw hunted and caught three mice for them, and they quickly ate and drank from the refilled stream.

"How're we going to fix the fern tunnel?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"We'll have to wait for the ferns to grow back," Lightningpaw explained. "But for now, we'll have to put a large branch vertically on either side of the entrance, and stack bramble around it."

Yellowtail quickly bounded out of camp and came back with a long, smooth branch that had fallen off of a tree during the storm. "Like this?"

"Yes, perfect!" Lightningpaw said.

By sunset, the three had patched up the tunnel with bramble and leaves so any intruder would find a prickly defense, but a WaterClan warrior would know exactly where the soft, leaf-lined tunnel was.

Swiftbreeze, Yellowtail, and Lightningpaw curled up in their new nests, sleepily awaiting the new day.


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to the two people who have reviewed and the people who've favorited this story! This is our first fanfic and we're glad that some people like it!**

 **Warning: Cliffhanger. This might be the first big cliffhanger for this fanfic...**

 **Please read & review, but most of all enjoy!**

 **Chapter 12 | Battle-Calm**

By the end of the moon, WaterClan had recovered well from the devastating flood. The camp was more protected than ever, and Swiftbreeze had replaced all the herbs that were shriveled, flooded, or burned.

The day dawned onto a perfect greenleaf morning. The air was crisp and cool, and a soft breeze rippled Lightningpaw's ear fur. As the sun's rays warmed the camp, bathing the clouds in beautiful rosy colors, the lions and Lightningpaw padded out into camp for another day. Swiftbreeze planned on getting watermint and catmint, and Yellowtail planned to hunt her favorite voles, but in the contentness that surrounded Lightningpaw, he was more stressed than ever.

And for good reason, too. Today was the day that he had his final assessment. If he passed, he would be made a warrior. But if he failed- well, he didn't want to think about it.

Lightningpaw carefully ate a squirrel, eating slowly so he wouldn't choke on the fluffy fur and so his belly wouldn't churn during his final fight with Leopardclaw. Although he would never admit it, Lightningpaw was more nervous than when he'd had the second part of his first assessment, when he'd had to spar Leopardclaw.

Sparrowstar appeared in the clearing. "Ready for your final assessment, Lightningpaw?"

Lightningpaw finished off his squirrel and rose to his paws smoothly. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"That's the attitude I want!" Sparrowstar bounded over to him. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You've been doing so well that there's almost no chance at all for you to fail this! Even if you don't beat Leopardclaw, you'll definitely pass the standard assessment."

Lightningpaw was sure that he could pass the regular assessment, but it was his fight with Leopardclaw that he was worried about. He just nodded, his belly twisting itself into elaborate knots. "All right," he said eventually. "I'm ready."

The two wolves padded out of camp. "Good luck!" called Yellowtail from the clearing.

"I'm sure you'll do great, Lightningpaw!" Swiftbreeze called.

Lightningpaw nodded his thanks, feeling a little bit better as he jumped through the hidden tunnel. Of course he wouldn't fail. He would make sure of that.

"Come back with two squirrels and a mouse," Sparrowstar instructed.

Lightningpaw nodded tersely and headed off into the forest. The prey would be easy; that was why Sparrowstar had told him to hunt in a part of the forest where squirrels didn't like to put their homes. The cold pine trees weren't a place where Lightningpaw usually hunted; the weird wind as it whistled through the willow trees nearby seemed creepy and haunting, in a way.

Soon Lightningpaw had his prey. He half-expected a ThornClan patrol to race in, and that's exactly what happened. It was only after Lightningpaw had growled for five minutes did he realize that the "patrol" had been a fox scampering along. Lightningpaw puffed and lightly kicked the fox on his way. He was way too uptight.

Lightningpaw made it back to Sparrowstar without incident. She looked up. "So quickly? Wow, I thought I'd given you a challenge!"

Lightningpaw laughed through squirrel fur. He put his catch down and teased, "You should know by now that Lightningpaw shall never be challenged!" He puffed his chest out ridiculously.

Sparrowstar laughed hard. "Very funny. Take that to the fresh-kill pile and then go to the training hollow. You'll be fighting Leopardclaw there, and then you'll get your warrior name!"

Lightningpaw obeyed swiftly, stopping only to get a drink from the stream before he went to the hollow. There Leopardclaw stood, his body half in shadow, his face looking unnaturally sharp and angular with dramatic shadows thrown across it. Lightningpaw shivered inwardly. Even though he'd beaten Leopardclaw twice in their training sessions, he had to admit that he'd never seen a more intimidating wolf.

And today, Leopardclaw was turning the "scary" up as high as it went. He took two slow, menacing steps forward. Lightningpaw almost screamed, until he remembered the drought, the flood, the fire, the Frost Forest, the mountain lions. If he could beat those, he wasn't going to let a warrior stand in the way of his destiny. Either he beat Leopardclaw, or…. There wasn't another choice. Lightningpaw had to beat Leopardclaw.

With that knowledge, Lightningpaw's fear dissipated. He didn't care about Leopardclaw's dramatic entrance; all he cared about was his duty to WaterClan, and his need to pass the assessment.

And soon, Lightningpaw could see weak spots in Leopardclaw's defense that he'd never seen before, and he could see his own fear transferring to Leopardclaw. And he knew that it would be an easy fight.

Leopardclaw leaped at Lightningpaw, but he simply took a step back and Leopardclaw bashed his muzzle on the dirt ground. Lightningpaw calmly stepped in and battered Leopardclaw's head and when he tried to get out, Lightningpaw sat on him.

That was all he had to do. Leopardclaw surrendered quickly, and Lightningpaw got up, his strange battle-calm disappearing, replaced by elation at having defeated Leopardclaw so easily, and excitement at his imminent warrior status.

Lightningpaw could see an emotion that he'd never seen before on Leopardclaw: fear. Fear that Lightningpaw could destroy his Clan once and for all. And that was true; Lightningpaw did have the power to do that. But the greatest power of all was the power of choice. Lightningpaw had made the choice to save WaterClan when he was three moons old, and that wasn't changing now for anything.

Sparrowstar cried, "That was amazing! You definitely pass! I'll tell Stormstar about it so he can give you your warrior name!"

Lightningpaw was elated as Leopardclaw came up. "Good job, youngster. You managed to point out some holes in my defense that no one knew were there, not even me!" Through his gruffness, Lightningpaw could detect that his fear of him was gone, replaced by a warm respect.

Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail gave him congratulations as well. It was all a blur to Lightningpaw. Finally he was alone with the two lions. "Where's Stormstar?" he asked.

"I don't know," Yellowtail said anxiously. "You should be doing the warrior ceremony by now…"

"I'll take a nap in the Cold Cave and see if the Sky River will give me a dream," Swiftbreeze offered, running low to the ground to the log.

"Sky River?" Lightningpaw asked, bewildered.

"Yes. Swiftbreeze named the river that comes from the Starpool the Sky River. She really likes to name things," Yellowtail explained.

"Yes, yes she does," Lightningpaw agreed, bemused. "Maybe I should take a nap too. I was really stressed this morning."

"Really?" Yellowtail looked shocked. "It sure didn't look like it."

Lightningpaw laughed and padded to his soft nest.

Swiftbreeze lapped some cold water from the Sky River, then curled up in her favorite, softest mossy spot. Immediately her dream came.

Swiftbreeze scrambled up, blinking her eyes open to the perpetual greenleaf of MoonClan. She quickly found Silverflame.

"Where's Stormstar?" she asked. "Why isn't he in WaterClan for the ceremony?"

"He's involved in a conflict," Silverflame explained. She padded along MoonClan, Swiftbreeze following close behind. They approached a windy cliff. With the wind roaring in her ears, threatening to sweep her off, Swiftbreeze asked, "Where is he?"

Silverflame gestured with her tail to the scene unfolding at the bottom of the cliff, a lush valley. ThornClan and SnowClan roared at each other and attempted to charge, but Stormstar and Sparrowstar held them apart. "ThornClan and SnowClan are enemies in real life, but they haven't had a chance to battle what with the natural disasters happening recently. They didn't have a fire because the flood froze them solid in ice and snow."

"So when can we expect the warrior ceremony?" Swiftbreeze asked.

"I do not know. Before the end of the day, perhaps." Silverflame's face began to fade.

"Wait! Why is MoonClan fighting? Is it just rivalries?"

But Swiftbreeze never got answers to her questions, and she found herself in the Cold Cave with Sky River water still dripping from her whiskers.

"Lightningpaw!" Yellowtail called. "Could you do border patrol while I go hunting? You're unofficially a warrior now, so you can patrol alone!"

"All right," he called back, wondering where Swiftbreeze was. He padded out of the bramble barrier towards the ThornClan border, leaping over the Cold Cave log as he went. He was just about to veer around the tree with the beehive on it when the Cold Cave log was pushed aside and Swiftbreeze came out.

"What did MoonClan say?" Lightningpaw asked.

"There's a conflict in MoonClan, and Stormstar and Sparrowstar are trying to fix it. Silverflame says you should be a warrior by the end of the day."

"Awesome!" Lightningpaw called, and continued on his way. He renewed the border marks along the stream and then deeper into the forest.

He was almost to the Howl Time place when they came.

"Stormstar! Sparrowstar!" Lightningpaw cried in relief. "You're finally here!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Stormstar asked, reaching to nuzzle the top of Lightningpaw's head. "Wow, you're bigger than I am! I wouldn't miss your warrior ceremony for the world, Son. Awesome job on your assessment, by the way! I'm sorry I couldn't come down to watch it, though. I saw you from MoonClan."

"Oh, it's alright," Lightningpaw smiled. "Soon I'm going to be leader of WaterClan, just like you!"

"Yes," Stormstar laughed, "the time does fly by, doesn't-"

ThornClan! Lightningpaw thought, right before the sources of the pungent stink flooded into WaterClan territory. Immediately the three wolves hissed and growled menacingly.

Sparrowstar looked to Lightningpaw, and he realized that he was leading the patrol. He faced the wolf in front of the ThornClan patrol. "You guys just keep on trying to steal territory, don't you," he hissed.

"We'll keep on doing so until we get some of this territory," the lead wolf growled. Lightningpaw recognized him as Riverclaw, the deputy of ThornClan himself. Next to him were Seedclaw and Swallowtail, among others. Those two she-wolves were the oldest, most experienced warriors in all the Clans. ThornClan must really want WaterClan territory, Lightningpaw thought.

And then he got a shock. For Claystar himself, leader of ThornClan stepped up. "You think you can stop us?" he growled. "You're just an apprentice. ThornClan, attack!"

Lightningpaw whirled and slashed, hissed and clawed, but he couldn't save his two companions. The battle ceased as six ThornClan warriors each pinned down Stormstar and Sparrowstar. Each wolf had their claws aimed at WaterClans' throats.

"Well, well, well," Claystar hissed. "Look at this. Two leaders. Both in danger. Which one will you save, Lightningpaw? You can't save them both."

And Lightningpaw finally saw what the patrol was: a trap to exploit him. What could he do? Stormstar wasn't going to suddenly show up like with Sharpclaw, and he knew he couldn't take on fifteen huge ThornClan warriors by himself, tired by his assessment and his raging emotions.

"Come on," Claystar snapped, "I don't have all day. Stormstar or Sparrowstar?"

Stormstar or Sparrowstar. My father or my mentor?

Lightningpaw couldn't choose. It was impossible. He wanted them both to live, but at best he knew he could only pick one.

"Five," Claystar counted down. "Four."

NO! Emotions raged within Lightningpaw. His eyes darted between Stormstar and Sparrowstar. Their eyes held the same emotion: a message that told Lightningpaw it's your choice; pick who you think will help WaterClan most. I am not afraid to die again. But Lightningpaw was afraid of them dying, fading forever.

"Three."

I can't do this! I need help! But no help came.

"Two."

This is impossible how I am supposed to save WaterClan if I can't save the wolves that I care... about… most. Suddenly it clicked. He knew his decision; he just couldn't put it into words quite yet...

"One. Make your decision."

So Lightningpaw did.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: This chapter also has a mild cliffhanger. But since _ is in this, I think it's fine ;) I didn't want to spoil the surprise of what would happen, especially _!**

 **Please read & review, but most of all enjoy!**

 **Chapter 13 | Warrior**

Lightningpaw took a deep breath, glancing between Stormstar and Sparrowstar. He suddenly started doubting his plan but there was no time to do anything but go through with it. He opened his mouth… "Neither."

"What?!" Claystar growled, infuriated. "You don't choose either of them? Well, I suppose we'll kill them both."

This was the moment Lightningpaw had been waiting for. He tensed his muscles as Claystar opened his mouth to give the order… and leaped. He quickly pinned Claystar down and he couldn't escape, despite his angry thrashing.

Lightningpaw glared up at the ThornClan warriors. "You want your leader? Come and _get him_."

The ThornClan warriors glanced hesitantly between Stormstar, Sparrowstar, and Claystar. They couldn't get Claystar back without Lightningpaw being able to hurt him first. "We choose Claystar," Riverclaw announced eventually. Seedclaw and Swallowtail nodded in agreement. Lightningpaw let Claystar up. Claystar gave Lightningpaw a murderous look but limped away.

Lightningpaw dashed over to his mentor and father. Stormstar dusted himself off and praised, "That was amazing, Son! You just defeated an entire patrol of ThornClan warriors and you didn't hurt anyone! You are definitely more than worthy of your warrior name!"

"Yeah," Sparrowstar agreed. "It's been an honor mentoring you, Lightningpaw. You're the greatest apprentice I've ever trained."

Lightningpaw felt overwhelmed, proud, and elated, all at the same time as he bounded back to camp. I'm a warrior! He'd be able to pursue his destiny and rebuild WaterClan! Soon it would be back to its former glory, led by Lightningpaw himself!

As Lightningpaw gave himself a quick grooming, Stormstar leaped onto the Great Rock. "Let all wolves old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting!"

 _This is it_ , Lightningpaw thought. _The moment I've been working towards all my life. I'm going to be a warrior._

Quailfur appeared, as did many other MoonClan wolves. Cloverpaw and Mousepaw smiled at Lightningpaw warmly, and Oakfur gave him a dipped head. Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail beamed at him, too proud for words.

Stormstar gazed down at his son with pride. "Lightningpaw, come here."

Lightningpaw was too excited to walk normally, and he scampered like a cub over to the Great Rock.

"I, Stormstar, former leader of WaterClan, call upon my ancestors to look down on this apprentice," Stormstar began. Lightningpaw finally realized that he was almost a warrior. A _warrior_! Stormstar continued, "He has trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend him as a warrior to you in his turn."

He turned to Lightningpaw. "Lightningpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Lightningpaw swallowed, but his voice came out strongly as he made the vow that would shape the rest of his life. "I do."  
"Then by the power of MoonClan, I give you your warrior name. Lightningpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Lightningclaw. MoonClan honors your bravery and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of WaterClan."

Stormstar rested his head on Lightningclaw's shoulder, and Lightningclaw licked his father's shoulder lovingly.

"Lightningclaw! Lightningclaw!" The MoonClan warriors chanted and cheered Lightningclaw's new name. Eventually they all returned to MoonClan, except for Quailfur. Her eyes shone.

"Son, you will never know how proud I am of you right now," she said lovingly. "Rebuilding WaterClan is your destiny, but enjoy life, too. There is a reason for sweet honey and beautiful days." With that, she too faded away into the twilight, smiling gently.

The lions smiled at him. "Great job, Lightningclaw," Yellowtail praised. "Now you can move your nest into the warriors' den."

"Yeah," Lightningclaw joked. "I spent so much time on that den that it would be a waste for me to not use it."

Swiftbreeze laughed. "Well, do you want to have some fresh-kill and get started on your vigil?"

"Absolutely," Lightningclaw said. He ate a mouse and then settled down in front of the camp for his silent vigil.

As the sun rose over the WaterClan camp, Lightningclaw knew that his vigil was almost over. But it wouldn't be over until one of the lions told him it was over, and they hadn't emerged from their dens yet. But Lightningclaw was fine with that; it gave him more time to watch over the peaceful camp.

Yellowtail padded out of the warriors' den, squinting against the bright morning sun. "I think your vigil is over, Lightningclaw."

Lightningclaw got up, stretching his muscles.

Swiftbreeze appeared in the clearing. "There's a new warrior in the camp! Congratulations, Lightningclaw!"

Lightningclaw dipped his head. "Thank you, Swiftbreeze. Let's do patrols. Yellowtail, could you hunt by the Old Pine? And I'll patrol the FrostClan border."

"Sure!" Yellowtail agreed, and dashed off into the woods.

"Lightningclaw, could you also get some chervil?" Swiftbreeze asked. "It only grows along the FrostClan border and I don't feel safe going there by myself."

"Of course." He knew what chervil looked like and anyways, Swiftbreeze was smart enough to know that with FrostClan's hostile behavior, she wouldn't be safe along the border.

With newfound confidence, Lightningclaw jumped over the camp thorn barrier and dashed through the forest, feeling the energy course through his paws. Soon, he was patrolling the FrostClan border. He noticed something off right away. The FrostClan scent markings were much farther into WaterClan territory than they should be. Lightningclaw let out a low growl. So FrostClan had decided to indirectly invade, huh? He would teach them a lesson. Lightningclaw was a warrior now and nothing was going to stand in his way, and definitely not FrostClan, those dishonorable wolves. They weren't even worthy of the wolf name. FrostClan deserved to be called rats, not wolves.

Lightningclaw sniffed the markings. They were just stale enough that he knew he wouldn't be able to catch the patrol; they were probably already at camp. Instead, he drenched the markings in WaterClan scent and bounded to the real border, which connected to the Howl Time place. There he set the real markings extra-strong and picked off a good clump of chervil for Swiftbreeze.

With one final sniff, Lightningclaw determined that no FrostClan warriors were around, and headed back to camp. This was a definite problem, but he wouldn't dare face the whole of FrostClan without Yellowtail. Even he had his limits, and he didn't want to test them. Lightningpaw sniffed contemptuously as he raced through the forest and jumped over a fallen log. FrostClan and ThornClan just wouldn't stop at anything for more territory.

When he returned to camp, Swiftbreeze was there, soaking horsetail and then letting them dry in the sun. She looked up at Lightningclaw. "Awesome! You got lots of chervil!" She took the herbs and carefully tucked them away in her den.

When she came back into the clearing, Lightningclaw updated her as to what had happened while he patrolled. Swiftbreeze stiffened and let out a low growl, the black fur on her spine prickling angrily. "FrostClan. I should've known they would try to avoid a conflict, the cowards."

Lightningclaw agreed wholeheartedly with her. "Yes. We need to teach them a lesson."

Yellowtail returned from hunting, and Lightningclaw filled her in on what had happened. She had almost the same reaction as Swiftbreeze, growling, "I can't believe that they still want more territory. They've got way more than we do! We need to tell them that they can't invade and make sure they understand."

"But we can't invade their camp," Swiftbreeze warned. "That's barbaric. We need to meet a patrol and make sure they understand."

"How do we make sure that we'll be patrolling when they patrol?" asked Yellowtail thoughtfully. "We could set a guard, but that's risky and it probably won't be worth it."

"We'll just have to patrol more often and hope we get lucky," Lightningclaw growled. "I was planning on upping the patrols anyways. Swiftbreeze, I know you're important as is, but I was thinking that you need battle training."

"That's true," Swiftbreeze replied, appearing not to be offended. "If I have battle training, then I can patrol with Yellowtail."

"Yeah," Yellowtail agreed, "I wouldn't feel safe on my own."

"Everyone get some fresh-kill," Lightningclaw ordered, "and meet me in the training hollow at sunhigh."

Swiftbreeze ducked a paw swipe from Yellowtail and lunged for her legs. Yellowtail saw her come and neatly avoided the tackle. Swiftbreeze staggered to get her balance back, but Yellowtail was already on her, pinning.

"Alright, stop!" called Lightningclaw from the edge of the training hollow. He walked towards the lions. "Swiftbreeze, that tackle was a good move, but if you try it, you'll have to be fast or wait until your opponent is unbalanced."

Swiftbreeze nodded, struggling to get her breath back.

Lightningclaw turned to Yellowtail. "That was very good, dodging like that, but don't delay. Swiftbreeze could've escaped if you were a millisecond slower."

Yellowtail conceded, "All right. Can we do two-on-one practice against you? Lions against wolves? Swiftbreeze and I need to get used to working with each other."

"Yes, we'll do that." Lightningclaw crouched down in an offensive position. Yellowtail lashed her tail, fine-tuning her balance. Swiftbreeze bunched her hindquarters, ready to leap.

"Start!" growled Lightningclaw. In an instant, he'd pinned Yellowtail. He planted a paw on her and started for Swiftbreeze, but she was gone. He looked around, catching a glimpse of black fur-

Both lions surged into Lightningclaw. Swiftbreeze had managed to release Yellowtail, and they battered Lightningclaw with pretend swipes. Lightningclaw's mind worked furiously, looking for weak spots.

He tucked his head and rolled out of their grasp, and before Yellowtail knew what had happened, Lightningclaw was on top of Swiftbreeze. The two lions' eyes met, and they knew what to do. Swiftbreeze suddenly took the offensive, battering Lightningclaw with her forepaws. Yellowtail snuck up behind him and at the same time, Swiftbreeze bucked Lightningclaw and Yellowtail pinned his head and forepaws while Swiftbreeze controlled his back end.  
There was silence as the lions searched for signs of breaking free and Lightningclaw looked for weak spots in his opponents' guard.

Lightningclaw surged upward, knocking both lions off, and with a forepaw each he pinned the lions' chests. Swiftbreeze looked at Yellowtail, more incapacitated than herself; Lightningclaw had thought correctly that Yellowtail was more of a threat.

Swiftbreeze slowly moved her paw towards Lightningclaw's back leg, and then in one quick movement, hooked it out and rolled him onto his stomach, pinning his paws and his legs. Yellowtail quietly sat on his head. The wolf beneath them was still, and then he said, "Do you want to end the fight now or should I break out?"

"Break out," Yellowtail chose. With a roar, Lightningclaw reared and the lions were knocked off. Swiftbreeze realized with a jolt that Lightningclaw had been going easy on them, probably for learning purposes.

"Great job, guys!" Lightningclaw enthused. "You two work really well together."

The next morning, the lions and Lightningclaw patrolled FrostClan together. Lightningclaw scouted ahead while the lions carefully checked the border and renewed the scent markings extra-strong.

There was a yowl from up ahead, and Swiftbreeze glanced at Yellowtail. "Let's go!" Yellowtail hissed, and the lions raced ahead.

"Race you," Swiftbreeze whispered.

"You're on!" Yellowtail laughed. They zoomed ahead even faster but in the end, Swiftbreeze's lighter body won. But she didn't have a chance to enjoy her victory as they plunged into battle with a FrostClan patrol. Suddenly the wolves drew back, revealing Lightningclaw pinned under thirteen enormous warriors. They watched as he exhaled and the warriors pressed harder, choking him.

"Let Lightningclaw go!" Swiftbreeze demanded.

A snow-white she-wolf with dangerous blue eyes stepped forward. Snowstar! Yellowtail realized with a gulp. Snowstar wasn't known for her skill in battle, but for her ruthlessness and willingness to fight dirty. Snowstar hissed in an icy voice, "If you value your warrior, then concede your territory to FrostClan."

The warriors on top of Lightningclaw pressed harder and his eyes bulged, looking pleadingly at the two lions.

Yellowtail felt frozen. She would never forgive herself if she let Lightningclaw die; but then again WaterClan might never recover without any territory. Her mouth opened soundlessly and she looked back and forth.

Snowstar's eyes glittered dangerously. "You'll notice that Claystar gave Lightningclaw almost the same choice. Pick now, or ThornClan and FrostClan together will annihilate you."

With a sneer, she added, "And this time, nobody's going to save you."

 **A/N: Ooh, I wonder what's going to happen! :)**


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Yay! You get to find out what happens after that cliffhanger! :) Please review & enjoy!**

 **Chapter 14 | Yellowtail's Choice**

Yellowtail knew that the choice was impossible, that she should say something, but she was frozen. Behind her, Swiftbreeze quietly padded….

No! That wasn't Swiftbreeze. Yellowtail turned, but the FrostClan warriors had pinned Swiftbreeze too. Her eyes flickered fearfully.

Snowstar paced around the clearing. "Claystar and I have joined to form IceClan. We're more powerful than anything you've ever seen before." Her head turned abruptly toward Yellowtail. "It's your territory or your comrades, Yellowtail! Pick or the full might of IceClan will destroy you and your short-lived Clan."

Yellowtail knew in her heart what the right decision was: to pick the territory. If she didn't, WaterClan would never have a chance to rebuild. But her best friends' lives were at stake, and Yellowtail couldn't abandon them. She couldn't choose. It was impossible. She forced her brain to search for a loophole, a way to trick Snowstar, but she couldn't. Snowstar's ice-blue eyes bore into her, telling Yellowtail Make your choice. It doesn't matter to me what you do.

"Stop!" Yellowtail cried.

Snowstar looked at her maliciously. "Stop what?"

"Let my friends go!"

"Ah, so you concede your territory to me?" Snowstar looked pleased, in a sick, evil-genius sort of way.

"No! I refuse to choose!"

Somehow, Snowstar looked even more pleased. "IceClan awaits your surrender," she hissed. Then she turned to her warriors. "Kill them!"

"NO!" Yellowtail screamed desperately, and dove towards Swiftbreeze's attackers. Taken by surprise, they loosened their grip, but still held Swiftbreeze. She tried to wriggle out but couldn't. Yellowtail battered the five warriors' heads, but they wouldn't break free. Then the battle turned vicious. Suddenly, Yellowtail was aware of hot blood dripping down her face and excruciating pain in her ears. She gasped and fought more intensely.

Then all of a sudden, she was injured. Yellowtail crumpled in pain, looking down at her sliced belly. Swiftbreeze screamed and tried to rear. A warrior forced her down.

"Back!" called Snowstar. The battle ceased. For the first time, Yellowtail caught a glimpse of Lightningclaw. He was bleeding heavily from a gash in his leg, and his back was covered in scratches.

Snowstar mock-saluted Yellowtail. "Until the battle, Yellowtail," she hissed. Then FrostClan was gone.

The clearing was silent. Yellowtail looked over the injuries. Lightningclaw looked as if he were on the brink of unconsciousness. Swiftbreeze was the least injured of the three, and she could see that her Clanmates were in no state to walk back to camp. "You guys stay here," she gasped, still in pain. Though she was the least injured and could walk, or limp, she was still injured quite badly. "I'll pick some herbs for you." She disappeared into the woods.

Groaning, Yellowtail resisted fainting and managed to pull herself over to where Lightningclaw lay. Yellowtail rolled onto her back, careful not to get dirt into her stomach wound. "So there's going to be a battle with this 'IceClan' soon," she commented.

"Yes. I hope our injuries heal by then."

"We'll have to defend camp… I can't believe that we're facing war with two Clans." Yellowtail sighed. "Two lions and a wolf against who knows how many vicious warriors… I would say it's impossible."

Lightningclaw struggled to sit up. "Nothing's impossible! We'll just have to trap and trick them instead of usual battle."

Plans formed in Yellowtail's mind. "You're right. I hadn't thought of that."

Lightningclaw collapsed back down and smiled weakly. "What if we trapped them in the Cold Cave and they all drank from the Sky River?"

"The battle would be over before it began," Yellowtail whispered amusedly. They both sank down, groaning.

Swiftbreeze returned, limping, carrying a bundle of leaves, moss, and cobwebs. Her own wounds were untreated. "Lightningclaw, roll over. I need to treat your leg." That injury was by far the worst, even worse than Yellowtail's stomach wound. It was a huge gash, showing scenes that were extremely gruesome. Swiftbreeze worked quickly, squeezing marigold into the wound. Lightningclaw winced at the sting but didn't have enough energy to cry out. Soon the wound was bound with cobweb. Red was already beginning to show through.

Swiftbreeze move on to Yellowtail, binding her wound with cobweb and moss. Once everyone had stopped dripping blood she sighed, "It's too dangerous here. We all need to rest and stay still for a while, but camp's too far from here."

Yellowtail lifted her head. "What about the Howl Time place? IceClan had better not invade there; SnowClan will destroy them if they do."

"That sounds good," rasped Lightningclaw. "There's a lot of prey there… and a stream."

"Do you guys feel good enough to move?" Swiftbreeze asked anxiously.

"No," Lightningclaw replied. "But I'll move anyways."

"Me too," Yellowtail said. "I'd like to be out of danger for once."

The three staggered to their feet painfully. Yellowtail felt as if she didn't have enough energy to even drink water, but they managed to stagger out of the clearing before collapsing.

"Come on!" Swiftbreeze encouraged. "It's right there, only a few more steps…."

Yellowtail started dripping blood again, but she staggered to her feet, head spinning. Then she looked back at Lightningclaw. He was teetering dangerously.

Yellowtail supported him with a weak shoulder, which he took gratefully. WaterClan struggled on to the Howl Time place, and then Lightningclaw collapsed unconscious. His leg and scratches started dripping red through the cobweb.

Yellowtail was aware of Swiftbreeze trying to stop their bleeding, but she succumbed to the looming darkness and fell unconscious.

Swiftbreeze's legs and side felt as if they were on fire, and she was exhausted, but her Clanmates needed her. She stopped bleeding and prevented infection, all fading into a blur. She staggered on weak legs to a soft patch of ground and collapsed. Soon she was unconscious.

Swiftbreeze opened her eyes to a pain-free body. She looked around; sure enough, she was in MoonClan with Silverflame, Robin, and Quailfur standing over her, worried.

"You were the only one who was uninjured enough for us to reach," Quailfur whispered. "When you wake up, tell Lightningclaw that 'Soon, he will have cubs'. I can't talk any more, dear. Get your rest."

The dream ended there.

The three slept through the rest of the day and the night. A little bit past dawn, Yellowtail awoke, feeling as if her limbs and stomach were on fire. She felt a little bit better than the previous day, however, so she located an old mouse to hunt. It appeared to not notice her, and she caught it by sitting on it. The meat was tough and stringy, but it sent a small bit of energy through her painful body.

By sunhigh, Swiftbreeze and Lightningclaw were awake as well. Swiftbreeze gave Lightningclaw the message, commenting that he wouldn't have cubs if he didn't survive.

"Me, have cubs?" joked Lightningclaw. "As far as I know, males don't have cubs. I don't even have a mate, and there's nobody in this Clan…"

"That's true," Yellowtail croaked, finally catching a vole after multiple attempts. The three shared the vole in silence.

"It's almost full moon," Lightningclaw rasped. "In a quarter-moon, we'll be attending a Howl Time whether we like it or not."

The next sunrise passed, and then the one after that. The lions both felt much better, but their wounds still hurt and had ugly scabs plastered over them. They'd stopped feeling dizzy from blood loss, but they were still weak. It was four sunrises until the Howl Time, so Swiftbreeze was trying to heal them as fast as she could to present a strong front to the other Clans.

Lightningclaw's scratches and bites had healed quickly as they were shallow. However, his gashed leg still bled occasionally, and he had to limp when he moved. He tried not to move, however, because his muscles kept flexing, preventing blood from clotting. Swiftbreeze didn't know any herbs that would heal a wound faster, so all she could do was to apply marigold and horsetail to prevent infection.

However, after two more sunrises, even the beginning of a scab hadn't started to form. Swiftbreeze began to get worried and suspicious. She quickly scooped up some of Lightningclaw's blood on a leaf and held it over a fast-flowing part of the stream. It was thin and much lighter than her own blood.

Swiftbreeze told Lightningclaw, "Lightningclaw, for some reason your blood is too thin to form a clot so you'll just keep bleeding forever if you keep moving."

"How am I supposed to heal then?"

"I don't… I don't know," Swiftbreeze admitted.

That night, Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail journeyed together to the Sky River in the Cold Cave. Swiftbreeze prayed for a dream from MoonClan that would show her how to save Lightningclaw. But when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a dark, stinky forest. Swiftbreeze knew at once that this was the Dark Forest. She shrank back against a rotted tree, her black pelt blending in. Why am I here? I need MoonClan! But MoonClan never came. Swiftbreeze stayed against the tree for hours. It must be near sunrise by now! Exhausted by fear, Swiftbreeze fell asleep in her dream.

She found herself in MoonClan. Robin told her, "The Dark Forest is growing strong. We tried to find you for this dream, but the Dark Forest took you instead!"

"What's going to happen?" Swiftbreeze asked fearfully.

Robin hissed ferociously and snapped at the air. Swiftbreeze shrank back. "They will invade!" Robin growled, her eyes wild. "And you will die!"

Oakfur pushed his way between mother and daughter. "Don't scare her, Robin," he reprimanded firmly. He turned to Swiftbreeze. "Yes, you will die in the invasion but that's not an issue for now. Give Lightningclaw parsley to thicken his blood."

The dream ended there with Swiftbreeze's heart pounding in her chest. I'm going to die. Somehow the knowledge didn't affect her much. Everyone would die sooner or later, and she'd done her duty to her Clan. Or had she?

Lightningclaw was going to mate and have cubs, and she needed to care for them. She could hear her pounding heartbeat. There isn't any sense going against my destiny, she thought. But as Yellowtail woke and stretched, she hesitated from telling her about her imminent death. There wasn't any point in scaring Yellowtail when the invasion might happen in twenty seasons.

The lions journeyed back to the Howl Time place. Swiftbreeze remembered Oakfur's herb and plucked some parsley on the way.

Swiftbreeze smelled it before she got there. The unmistakable, metallic, slightly salty smell of blood. She raced ahead into the Howl Time clearing-

Lightningclaw lay unconscious in a pool of blood, his wound gushing blood. Swiftbreeze let out a scream that sounded slightly alien. As she worked quickly to bind the wound with cobweb, she demanded furiously, "Who did this?! I'll kill them!" It was one thing to wound a leader in battle, but during a full moon truce, in a place of peace, cutting open a healing wound, and letting the blood gush out was more than dishonorable and cowardly.

It meant war.

Yellowtail sniffed around for clues, just as furiously indignant as Swiftbreeze. The attackers had covered their tracks well, but Yellowtail was a better hunter than any wolf in the Clans. Soon, she'd found a scent trail.

Yellowtail stiffened and let out a low growl. Swiftbreeze finished soaking up blood with moss and tossing the soiled moss away. She raced over. "What did you find? Who did this?" she demanded.

Yellowtail looked up, her amber eyes blazing, her golden tail lashing, her brown fur prickling.

"IceClan."

 **A/N: Ooh! I don't want to give anything away, but... war! Yellowtail really means that, by the way. Please review and thanks for reading! We're really anxious for feedback... ;)**


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Super sorry for not posting earlier! Hopefully this makes up for it. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 15 | Howl Time**

"IceClan," Swiftbreeze snarled angrily, her green eyes blazing so much Yellowtail was sure she'd burn holes in the tree in front of her. "I should've known they would try something this low."

"Specifically ThornClan scent on Lightningclaw. But we'll teach them a lesson this Howl Time tonight," Yellowtail growled, her fury focusing into one solid stone of ferocious anger. "We may not be able to fight but then again, neither can they during the truce."

Swiftbreeze nodded, growling more furiously than Yellowtail had ever seen her before. "I can't believe that they would sink this low." She worked her claws into the ground. Soon there was a deep hole about two claw-lengths deep.

Yellowtail suddenly whipped her head around to the ThornClan territory, sensing something off. A pair of amber eyes stared back. "Come out, Riverclaw," Yellowtail hissed to the ThornClan deputy.

Riverclaw padded out of the dark trees. Immediately Swiftbreeze leaped on him and pinned him down. He froze with shock. Swiftbreeze aimed her claws at his throat viciously. "I'll only give you one chance to answer," she hissed. "Who did this to Lightningclaw?"

Riverclaw swallowed nervously. Swiftbreeze was intimidating even to him. "Darkfire from FrostClan," he forced out. "Now let me go."

Swiftbreeze slashed her claws at his throat. Riverclaw ducked back just in time. "Liar," she hissed. "There was ThornClan scent on Lightningclaw, not FrostClan."

"Alright, alright," whimpered Riverclaw. "I don't know, okay?"

"You should know," growled Yellowtail, "you're the deputy of ThornClan."

"Yeah," snapped Riverclaw, "but Claystar's higher in the ranks, isn't he? So if he chooses not to tell me something, I have to obey that! I'm a loyal wolf!"

"Yes," hissed Swiftbreeze. "You're a loyal, murderous wolf."

"I'm just following orders!"

"You dirty slime-"

"Stop!" ordered Yellowtail. "Swiftbreeze, let him up. I want to hear what Claystar said to him."

Swiftbreeze let him get up, cornering Riverclaw against the Great Rock in the middle of the clearing. "You're lucky I didn't just kill you the first time."

"You're lucky I'm choosing not to battle you two," Riverclaw shot back.

"What did Claystar say to you?" Swiftbreeze demanded.

"What makes you think he said anything of interest to you to me?"

"You're not in a position to be cheeky," Yellowtail warned, sharpening her claws against a hard piece of rock until they were thorn-sharp. In an instant, she'd taken Swiftbreeze's place. "So tell us what Claystar said to you about this attack. Or you won't like what happens." Her claws pressed against Riverclaw's throat.

Riverclaw gave the two lions a murderous look but eventually he began his story. "I came back from a patrol when I saw Claystar talking to two big warriors- Crookedclaw and Jaggedstripe. Claystar said, 'Remember, he'll be weak, but even so, you'll have to wait until he's asleep to do it.'

"Jaggedstripe asked, 'Should we have another warrior do it?' Claystar replied, 'Whoever you want. Just make sure that your wolf is loyal and won't speak of this to anyone.' 'Don't worry,' Jaggedstripe said, 'I know the perfect wolf.' Claystar smiled.

"Then Crookedclaw asked, 'Why do you want us to do this?' Claystar replied, 'To weaken WaterClan. IceClan will become superior! But remember, no other wolf should know about this.'

"Then he saw me and hissed to his warriors, 'Go! Tell no one!' Then he strolled over to me and said in this half-guilty voice, 'Just instructing them on hunting techniques.'

" 'Really?' I said. 'It sounded very secret.' He replied, 'Don't worry about it. Go out on patrol again.'

" 'But I just did three-' I protested.

" 'Go!' he yelled. So I went on patrol by myself. Then I saw you guys and I was wondering if Claystar did something to you, and you know what happened next." Riverclaw sighed. "So the attacker could be anyone in ThornClan, I don't know." He pushed himself free of the lions. "I'll be going back to camp. Tell no one of this. I don't want to get accused of spying and handing out secrets." He disappeared into the forest.

"Well," sighed Swiftbreeze, "now we have warriors of ThornClan plus three others as our suspects."

"But you counted their medicine wolf, Lilypond."

"Hey, you never know. Lilypond might be vicious. It's just the kind of thing that Claystar would pull: commit a crime that it seems only a warrior could do, and then have the medicine wolf do it."

"That's a good point," mused Yellowtail, "considering how the wound was sliced in just the right spot to get maximum bleeding in the fewest claws. Only a medicine wolf should know how to do that."

 **()()()()**

The sunset came and went, and Yellowtail and Swiftbreeze awoke from their naps. Lightningclaw was still unconscious, but Swiftbreeze announced that he'd wake up soon, and if not, it wouldn't hurt him to wake him up by the all-powerful pinch method, or the amazing ice-cold-stream-water-on-head method.

"I volunteer you to utilize one of those methods," Yellowtail joked. "You're the medicine lion so you'll know how to fix yourself after he kills you."

Swiftbreeze replied, "I think I'll use a less… surprising method."

The lions were saved from having to wake Lightningclaw up as he opened his eyes, screwing them up against the harsh sunset light.

"You're finally awake!" Swiftbreeze gushed. "Here, eat this parsley. And don't move or you'll open your wound again."

Lightningclaw obediently munched the parsley up. "What's this for?"

"Your blood was too thin to clot and make a scab," Swiftbreeze explained, "so Oakfur from MoonClan told me about parsley which will thicken your blood. Do you feel good enough to walk?"

Lightningclaw hoisted himself up, his unused muscles and bones creaking. He winced as he put weight on his injured leg-

"Don't do that!" Swiftbreeze screamed. Lightningclaw stopped.

"Why?"

"You'll reopen the wound. It hasn't got a chance to stop bleeding yet."

"Oh."

 **()()()()**

That night, the lions and Lightningclaw carefully groomed themselves and had some prey. They wanted to appear strong and healthy so that IceClan would think twice about invading them (or at least delay the invasion). Also, Lightningclaw was excited to attend his first Howl Time. At a bit before moonhigh, the first wolves started appearing: about half of SnowClan's wolves. SnowClan's leader, Cloudstar, jumped up onto the huge Great Rock with some difficulty.

WaterClan had decided that Lightningclaw would be acting leader of WaterClan. Although he'd been leading WaterClan for a while now, it'd never been official.

Soon IceClan arrived together, with SnowClan shooting uncertain looks at the huge, blended Clan. It appeared that Snowstar was the leader of the entire IceClan as only she and not Claystar jumped up onto the Great Rock, she too having to climb to a ledge on the rock and jump from there.

Finally Lightningclaw appeared out of the shadows and jumped easily onto an open spot on the Great Rock, making Snowstar glare at him. Lightningclaw just shot her a triumphant look. The leader's den where he'd slept for a few moons as a cub was much higher than the rock, so he could stretch his muscles smoothly despite his injury.

Snowstar looked a little surprised that his leg gash appeared to have had healed so quickly. It had just started to scab, in fact, but Yellowtail had combed his fur in a way to hide the gash.

Snowstar began to speak, but the poisonous look that Cloudstar shot her made it seem as if she had been dominating the Howl Times for a long time. Instead, Cloudstar nodded courteously to Lightningclaw, who gulped. This was his first time at a Howl Time, and he didn't really know what to say. The only clues he had were Snowstar's body language as she attempted to start the Howl Time herself, and the stories Quailfur had told him in the nursery about Howl Times.

Hoping he didn't make a terrible mistake, Lightningclaw puffed out his chest, tried to appear confident, stepped to the front of the Great Rick, and howled, "Let the Howl Time begin!" From the wolves' expressions down below, it appeared that he'd said the words correctly.

Lightningclaw nodded to Cloudstar to begin. She smiled at him (apparently SnowClan never went first) and started. "SnowClan has had a plentiful greenleaf. The prey is running well and we do not have many border conflicts…" Cloudstar glared at Claystar in the audience, who shifted uncomfortably. "We have detected ThornClan scent on our side of the border, and last sunrise we saw a patrol well inside the borders. On a different note, we have three new cubs: Streamcub, Shadecub, and Hollycub." She sat down and nodded at Lightningclaw.

Lightningclaw took a step forward and announced, "WaterClan has been recovering well since the invasion and massacre by FrostClan. However, we've continually been finding IceClan scent well within our borders-"

"You have no proof!" cried Snowstar angrily. Obviously she didn't think Lightningclaw would bring up the border skirmishes at a Howl Time.

Lightningclaw continued as if the interruption had never happened. "And border skirmishes have been going on. I was unconscious and injured terribly, so I will let Swiftbreeze tell the rest." He nodded at Swiftbreeze, who looked very surprised. The wolves in the audience shifted uncomfortably as if letting a _lion_ speak was against protocol.

Swiftbreeze told the story of the ambush on Lightningclaw while she and Yellowtail were at the Cold Cave, leaving out the bit about Riverclaw telling them the story without putting up much of a fight. Riverclaw looked grateful for that as Swiftbreeze described a long and vicious fight that had actually never happened. But no one else needed to know that.

While Swiftbreeze spoke, Yellowtail discreetly observed her prime suspect: Lilypond, medicine wolf of ThornClan. She kept shifting around uncomfortably. Yellowtail cornered her and spoke to her quietly.

Once Swiftbreeze was done, Lightningclaw ended his turn with a warning: "And anyone who tries to mess with WaterClan will not like what happens." Then he nodded to Snowstar, but it was a cold nod.

Snowstar described IceClan forming, and then her turn was over. It was bafflingly short. Swiftbreeze suspected that she was hiding something, a lot of somethings. Meanwhile, Lightningclaw had noticed a light-gray she-wolf squirming around in the back of IceClan. She was beautifully delicate, but Lightningclaw could detect hardened muscles rippling under her fur. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, the most beautiful wolf he'd ever seen.

"I have one last thing to say," Snowstar announced. "I have a warrior that is banished from IceClan: Frostfur." She gestured with her tail to the light-gray wolf, who looked resigned to her fate. "She is convicted of trying to help another Clan, SnowClan. If she is found on IceClan's territory by sunrise tomorrow, anyone has my permission to kill her."

From Frostfur's expression, it was clear that helping SnowClan had been the right thing to do, and that she really, really hated Snowstar.

"Now it's time to ho-" Snowstar began.

"Wait!" Yellowtail called.

"What is it?" Lightningclaw asked, a bit irritated that she had interrupted the leaders. Yellowtail revealed Lilypond, dragged behind her.

"This wolf is the one responsible for Lightningclaw's injury."

"That's not possible!" Snowstar gasped, though her eyes darted guiltily.

"It is," Lilypond sighed, shoulders hunched. "I confess. I was the one one did it, though J-" Jaggedstripe shot her a look. "A warrior told me to."

Outraged cries came from WaterClan and SnowClan, but Snowstar looked crafty, like she was planning something. "Lilypond can stay," she called. "However, Riverclaw needs to go. He should be banished just like Frostfur."

"Why?" Riverclaw called, bewildered.

"He told enemy secrets to Yellowtail."

Riverclaw looked outraged, then he dropped his head and stalked to WaterClan. "Okay. Fine. I used to love ThornClan but now it's against my morals. I choose to leave this wretched Clan. Come on, Windrunner." His mate followed.

"We're joining WaterClan with Frostfur," Windrunner announced. They walked over to Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail.

"Now it's time to howl!" Lightningclaw yelled. All the wolves howled to the moon, though with the shocking events of the Howl Time, only WaterClan and SnowClan howled to their ancestors. IceClan howled to themselves.

The Howl Time gathering broke up, and the new members of WaterClan joined Lightningclaw at the Great Rock. "WaterClan, let's go back to camp tonight," Swiftbreeze said. "I think we're all healed enough."

Lightningclaw nodded in agreement. He streaked off towards camp, with Swiftbreeze, Yellowtail, Frostfur, Riverclaw, and Windrunner following. It was the new WaterClan, filled with hope for a better life.


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: This is the halfway point of the story and the point where it'll actually have more than just a few characters! Thank you so much for the 5 reviews so far; we've really enjoyed reading positive feedback! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 16 | New Life**

Over the next moon, the new wolves began to fit in nicely with one another, especially Frostfur and Lightningclaw. Swiftbreeze, of course, noticed this affection between the two, and predicted, _The prophecy must be coming true! There will probably be new cubs!_

Lightningclaw was delighted that Frostfur had joined his Clan. He spent every moment he could with her, whether it be sharing tongues or being on the same patrol. Frostfur felt the same way.

Riverclaw and Windrunner, like all wolves, were a little bit intimidated by Lightningclaw's enormous size and strength, and respected him. They, of course, being mates, were already very close.

Deep inside, subconsciously, Yellowtail felt jealous that the wolves all had mates and she did not, but she thought, _If Swiftbreeze isn't bothered by this, I can't be either._ However, Swiftbreeze, as a medicine lion, would never understand Yellowtail's longing for a mate of her own.

Swiftbreeze, patient as always, was quietly waiting for the prophecy about cubs to come true, and it did! She watched, happily, Lightningclaw and Frostfur padding away on patrol; Frostfur's belly seemed to be hanging lower, and she was getting tired more easily. Swiftbreeze decided not to tell Lightningclaw; she wanted it to be a surprise for him.

Frostfur felt the changes too. One night, she was suddenly awakened by a hard kick in her belly. She gasped, and, thinking it was just a stomach pain, ignored it. However, in the morning, she felt something squirming around inside her, and thought delightedly, _I'm expecting cubs!_ When she told Lightningclaw, his eyes widened and shone with happiness and delightful surprise, and he said, "That's… that's wonderful!" Swiftbreeze looked on, happy that her friends were happy.

One day, when Windrunner was eating a bite of fresh-kill with Riverclaw, she felt a kick inside her, something she had felt only once in her life. She too was joyous, and whispered to her mate, "We're having cubs! Again!" Riverclaw's eyes sparkled with pride.

By the third moon after that, the two she-wolves were confined to the new, sturdy nursery as they drew closer and closer to giving birth. "I can still hunt perfectly fine! I don't need to stay in the nursery!" Frostfur protested. Lightningclaw, however, was nervous about the health of his mate and insisted, "You need to stay in the nursery, Frostfur. If you stay healthy, our cubs will be healthy also." Frostfur finally consented, but was still grumbling. Windrunner, having already experienced this, obediently moved into the nursery without complaining, and Riverclaw was totally at ease.

One day, as Swiftbreeze was feeding the queens their borage to help their milk flow in preparation for the cubs, Frostfur felt a painful kick and squirming inside her. She gasped in pain. Swiftbreeze was instantly at her side, pressed her paw against Frostfur's belly, and cried, "Already?! The cubs are coming!" Windrunner, from her nest, let out a low moan. Swiftbreeze whipped her head around, and saw that she too was going to have her cubs also. She felt overwhelmed, and scared; she had never assisted a queen in giving birth. This was her first time.

As soon as Lightningclaw and Riverclaw had heard Swiftbreeze's alarm about the cubs, they both came charging out of the warrior's den to the nursery. "What can I do to help?!" demanded Lightningclaw. When Frostfur let out a loud groan, he asked nervously, "What's happening to her? Let me help!" Riverclaw looked concerned also, but struggled to remain calm for the sake of his mate.

Swiftbreeze answered, "You can go get a sturdy stick for Frostfur to take her pains out on, when they come. You too, Riverclaw." Both wolves looked relieved at being able to help their mates, and dashed off to find the perfect stick.

Frostfur was getting very nervous and scared. She had never had cubs before, and had no idea what to expect. Windrunner from the other nest tried to reassure her, and licked Frostfur comfortingly, but it was of no use.

Riverclaw and Lightningclaw barged in with their selected stick and gave them to their mates. Lightningclaw said to Frostfur, "It's all right. Don't be scared. Swiftbreeze will take care of you." Meanwhile, Riverclaw had quietly licked his mate and exited the den. Suddenly, Frostfur began writhing about in pain, and the whites of her eyes showed. "Help her!" Lightningclaw demanded of Swiftbreeze.

Swiftbreeze replied, "There's nothing I can do. We just have to let it happen." Frostfur gasped, and howled in agony, biting down hard on the stick. Windrunner did also. Lightningclaw backed out of the nursery nervously.

Swiftbreeze rolled her eyes and thought, _Males! So tough and brave in battle, but as scared as mice in the nursery._ "Frostfur, keep pushing! There's a cub, but it's not coming out!" With a scared heave, Frostfur gasped, and the cub was born: a gray male wolf cub with a cute chestnut nose. Swiftbreeze nipped the sac off and went to help Windrunner.

But she didn't need to help at all. Windrunner's three cubs lay at her side: a reddish-brown she-wolf, a dark brown she-wolf with white paws and tail, and a golden brown male wolf with green eyes.

Meanwhile, Riverclaw and Lightningclaw were waiting outside the nursery. Lightningclaw was nervously pacing near the the front of the den; Riverclaw was calmly sitting down. He said to Lightningclaw, "Scared, Lightningclaw?"

Lightningclaw nodded and answered, "Very. Aren't you worried about Windrunner?"

Riverclaw responded, "It's only natural that you're nervous. All new fathers fret about their mates. I've experienced this before, and I know that I can trust the medicine lion and wolves."

Swiftbreeze went to help Frostfur, but the next cub wasn't coming out. She stuck her head outside the den and yelled, "Lightningclaw! Please bring me raspberry leaves! They're by the catmint!"

Lightningclaw lurched up, sensing the urgency in Swiftbreeze's voice. But in his panicked state, Riverclaw knew he wouldn't be able to get the herbs quickly. Riverclaw dashed toward the medicine den with Lightningclaw at his heels. Riverclaw located the catmint and felt the edges of the leaves next to it, feeling for the serrated raspberry edge. Finally they found it and Lightningclaw scooped it all up and raced for the nursery.

Frostfur's eyes were widened in pain, and she howled in agony. Finally, the cub came out, a bluish gray she-wolf.

Swiftbreeze murmured, "You're almost done, Frostfur. Just a few more cubs." She took the herbs from Lightningclaw with a quick nod and returned to Frostfur. "You can do it. Almost there."

Frostfur screamed, splintering the stick. Finally the cub was born. Swiftbreeze pawed raspberry pulp towards her. "Frostfur, eat this to get your strength up." Swiftbreeze peeled the sac off the cub, a dark gray male.

Swiftbreeze pawed at Frostfur's belly and determined, "One more cub, Frostfur. It's okay." Frostfur nodded, to scared to speak. Then she let out an ear-splitting wail, and a male cub with gray fur and an even darker gray head came sliding out. The four cubs started wailing and pummeling Frostfur's belly for milk. Swiftbreeze said, "That's it, Frostfur. Four beautiful cubs." Frostfur sighed in relief.

Once Frostfur was done with the raspberry, Swiftbreeze gave both queens fresh-kill, borage, and moss-soaked water. Then she called outside, "Lightningclaw! Riverclaw! Your cubs are here. Yellowtail! Come see these cute cubs!"

Lightningclaw came in first. Swiftbreeze watched as his tough, normally scary look seemed to fade away in a flood of affection for his cubs.

The rest of WaterClan crowded the nursery. Swiftbreeze and Yellowtail stood off to the side. Swiftbreeze's eyes were filled with love and happiness for the cubs and their parents, but Yellowtail's revealed barely hidden jealousy and pain that she would never get to have cubs of her own. Soon she'd be too old to have cubs, and she'd never know the love that came from having a mate and raising cubs.

Lightningclaw breathed, "They're the most beautiful cubs ever. What should we name them?" Frostfur flicked her tail towards the gray male with the chestnut nose.

"I think we should name him Stormcub. And the bluish gray female should be called Dawncub." Lightningclaw nodded in agreement.

"I think we should name the dark gray male Falconcub. And the male with the dark head should be called Thundercub. Stormcub, Dawncub, Falconcub, and Thundercub." Lightningclaw looked down at his four cute, beautiful, perfect cubs and his world expanded just enough for him to take them in. He would love them and protect them with all the ferocity in his heart.

"Good names," whispered Frostfur.

Windrunner and Riverclaw were naming their three cubs also. "They're beautiful," whispered Riverclaw. "Have you decided what you're going to name them?"

Windrunner pointed with her tail to the reddish-brown she-wolf. "This is Honeycub." She gestured to the black she-wolf with white paws and tail. "This is Hollycub. And you can name this last one."

Riverclaw smiled down at the light gray male wolf that had green eyes. "How about Dustcub?"

"Sure," Windrunner agreed.

"They're so cute, aren't they?" Frostfur laughed. "I can't believe I have cubs now! I've always wanted them but never had a mate!"

"Well, you do now," Lightningclaw said, unsure of what else to say. "Um."

Frostfur laughed. The sound was like MoonClan singing to Lightningclaw. She announced, "I'm so happy right now. Four beautiful cubs! Stormcub, Dawncub, Falconcub, Thundercub."

Swiftbreeze smiled too at the scene and said, "Windrunner has Honeycub, Hollycub, and Dustcub!"

"That's wonderful!" Lightningclaw said.

Suddenly, Frostfur lurched violently in her nest, and she screeched in pain. "Wha-" Lightningclaw started to say, but Swiftbreeze ordered, "Everyone, leave. Windrunner, you can stay." All obeyed and quickly left the nursery.

Swiftbreeze pressed her paw against Frostfur's belly, and gasped, "Another cub!" She didn't have time to react, though, before a blue-gray she-wolf came tumbling out onto the nest. Immediately, Swiftbreeze licked the little cub; the cub nestled itself in the curve of Frostfur's belly and began suckling along with its littermates.

"Lightningclaw, you can come in. The rest of you can as well," Swiftbreeze called, poking her head out of the den.

Lightningclaw came hurrying back in and gasped, "Another cub! We have a big litter! Well done, Frostfur!" He affectionately licked his mate's ears, and she sighed in contentment.

"I think we should name this cub Poppycub," she murmured.

Lightningclaw nodded. "A perfect name."

As Yellowtail watched the happy scene, she herself was happy for her Clan on one level. But on a deeper, truer level, she was sad. Depressed, even. It just wasn't fair that she would never have cubs or a family.

Subconsciously, she then made the decision. She would have a mate. Yellowtail didn't know about this promise, but it was made, and it would shape the rest of her life.

 **()()()()**

Swiftbreeze was kept busy in the next moon keeping the two little families in order and treating warrior injuries as Riverclaw and Lightningclaw kept having border skirmishes. Riverclaw never patrolled the ThornClan border, Swiftbreeze noticed, and Lightningclaw was unusually aggressive along ThornClan, presumably because they had kicked Frostfur out.

Swiftbreeze was very busy one day, treating ticks, itches, coughs, injuries, and Hollycub's adventurous outings into the medicine den. However, she wasn't so busy that she wouldn't notice that Yellowtail had left on a hunting patrol at dawn and hadn't come back until past sunset. Swiftbreeze had noticed her friend going on longer hunting trips, and she'd attributed this to the fact that the two queens needed much more fresh-kill now. Their cubs were only a moon old, and in another half-moon they'd be eating solid food.

But Yellowtail returned with only two birds and a vole, and she herself looked plump as if she'd eaten the rest of her catch. Swiftbreeze didn't call her out on it; after all, Yellowtail was more loyal to WaterClan than Frostfur was. But day after day, the Clan went more hungry than usual and invasions farther into the territory became more often as the male wolves split hunting with patrolling.

Swiftbreeze couldn't put it off any longer. A half-moon had passed and the cubs needed good, fresh meat. She approached Yellowtail one night in the clearing while everyone else went to sleep and Yellowtail took night watch. "Yellowtail, I've noticed that you've been catching less than normal. Is something wrong?"

Swiftbreeze was sure to keep any accusational or annoyed tones out of her voice, but Yellowtail flinched as if she were struck.

Yellowtail stammered, "No, nothing's wrong. Why… why do you ask?" She winced as if expecting another blow.

Swiftbreeze let concern creep into her voice, which wasn't hard. "Are you sick, or tired?"

"Um, no. I haven't noticed that I've been catching less…."

 _Or that WaterClan is going hungry?_ Swiftbreeze thought scathingly. But she'd never get Yellowtail to talk with that kind of attitude. Instead she said, "Are you depressed about something?"

"No, not at all." But to Swiftbreeze the reassurance came too fast, as if Yellowtail were lying.

"Yellowtail, I'm your best friend. I'd keep a secret. Really, Yellowtail, I'm worried about you."

For a second, Swiftbreeze thought she'd gotten through to her friend, but then Yellowtail shrank away. "No. I can't tell. I'd be kicked out of the Clan. Please don't tell anyone I have a secret." She turned away. It was clear that the conversation was over.

Swiftbreeze sighed and slowly turned and padded back to her den. If Yellowtail didn't want to tell, then she wouldn't.

But she didn't stop being worried about Yellowtail. She herself started hunting to try and keep the fresh-kill pile full. And soon Yellowtail was taking overnight "hunting" trips. Lightningclaw himself noticed soon.

"Swiftbreeze!" Lightningclaw called. "Meet me in the leader's den."

Swiftbreeze walked up the hidden path to the den. She already knew what Lightningclaw wanted to talk about. Yellowtail's disappearances weren't exactly inconspicuous, though she always came back wet and all scent washed off.

"I'm worried about Yellowtail," Lightningclaw said. "She's been… vanishing for days at a time."

Swiftbreeze winced. "I know," she said.

"Do you know what she's been up to?"

"No."

"Aren't you going to do something?"

"Leave that to me. I'm sure Yellowtail wouldn't be doing anything disloyal to the Clan," Swiftbreeze snapped, suddenly feeling suspicious that Lightningclaw thought Yellowtail was being disloyal.

Lightningclaw stepped back. "Of course she wouldn't do anything disloyal. I just wanted to know what she's up to."

Swiftbreeze suddenly felt guilty about snapping to the cub (she still sometimes thought of Lightningclaw as a cub) she had raised. She lowered her eyes. "Sorry," she muttered.

Lightningclaw bent down and licked her ears affectionately. "It's all right, I forgive you," he murmured.

 **()()()()**

That night, Swiftbreeze watched Yellowtail creep out of camp. She was curious to see what her friend was up to, and quietly followed her into the forest. _I shouldn't be spying on my best friend,_ she thought guiltily. Then she shook herself. _It's because she is my best friend that I need to see what she's up to._

Swiftbreeze hoped that Yellowtail was truly hunting, but somehow, she suspected that that wasn't what her friend was doing. As Yellowtail neared a clearing, Swiftbreeze smelled the excitement coming off of her in gigantic waves. _What is she so excited about?_ It definitely was not prey. However, Swiftbreeze did smell a scent she hadn't smelled in a long time. Something that would make a non-medicine-lion very excited. She crouched down behind a bush as Yellowtail trotted into the clearing bathed in moonlight.

Yellowtail sat expectantly in the middle of the clearing, the moonlight shining off of her glossy pelt. She had not detected Swiftbreeze in her excitement to get to the clearing.

Swiftbreeze watched patiently. Finally, the bushes near Yellowtail rustled and a huge shape bounded into the clearing. It took a moment for Swiftbreeze's mind to register what it was, but then it clicked: it was a lion. A male lion.

Yellowtail was elated, and she whispered, "Sunrise! You came!"

Sunrise nuzzled her lovingly and whispered back, "Of course I came! I would risk anything to see my mate again."

Swiftbreeze nearly fainted. Yellowtail had a _mate_? It was too much to comprehend.

Yellowtail buried her muzzle deep in Sunrise's sweet-smelling mane. "I missed you so much! I've been waiting all day for now."

Suddenly, everything made sense to Swiftbreeze; Yellowtail had been sneaking out on "hunting trips" to see Sunrise. And she was fat because… she was expecting cubs!

Sunrise smiled, then leaped onto Yellowtail playfully. Swiftbreeze's eyes widened in horror. _Is Sunrise going to hurt her?_

But Yellowtail laughed, and teased, "You better watch out. Lightningclaw taught me fighting tricks."

Sunrise responded, "Oh really? Wolf tricks or lion tricks? I'll show you how a real lion fights." He leaped again and tackled Yellowtail. She dodged, then began to mock scratch Sunrise. Sunrise, using his greater bulk, flipped over, pinned Yellowtail to the ground, and tickled her. Yellowtail laughed hard, and her eyes shone. Swiftbreeze hadn't seen her this happy in days.

Suddenly, an owl hooted, and the two broke up. Yellowtail murmured sadly, "I should probably go back to camp now. My Clanmates will be waiting for me."

Sunrise responded, "I know. I wish you could stay with me forever. I love you so much, Yellowtail." Their tails twined, and Yellowtail buried her nose in Sunrise's beautiful golden fur. Sunrise lovingly licked Yellowtail's head and whispered, "Goodbye." Then, looking back at his mate, he bounded off into the woods.

Yellowtail looked after him, and when he was gone, she plodded out of the clearing, head down and tail drooping. Swiftbreeze stepped out from behind the bush and gave Yellowtail a long, sympathetic look. She murmured, "You sacrificed your Clan for him?"

Yellowtail's eyes widened and she asked, "You… you saw?"

Swiftbreeze nodded and said, "Yes. Yellowtail, you are my best friend. Why wouldn't you tell me?"

Yellowtail lowered her eyes and answered, "I was afraid you wouldn't understand, and thought you would banish me from the Clan. I am loyal to WaterClan, I really am, it's just… Ever since the wolves got their own families, I wanted one of my own also. It's something that I've been longing for, and Sunrise is the answer. He's a great lion."

"And he would probably be a good Clanmate too."

Yellowtail looked up and exclaimed, "Really? You would really let Sunrise join?"

Swiftbreeze nodded and replied, "If it would make you happy."

Yellowtail looked overjoyed and said, "Thank you so much, Swiftbreeze!"

Swiftbreeze nodded, and asked, more quietly, "Does he know about your cubs?"

Yellowtail's eyes widened and she looked down at her belly, which was now a lot bigger. "C- cubs? I… We have cubs?" Swiftbreeze smiled and nodded.

 **()()()()**

Three moons later, Yellowtail lay in the nursery with Swiftbreeze by her side. She gasped, and exclaimed, "It.. it… hurts! Why-" Her sentence was cut off by an enormous gasp. "Ouch! I think my cubs are ready to be born! They're kicking like crazy!" Frostfur, who was assisting Swiftbreeze, nodded, and replied, "I'm sorry to give you bad news, Yellowtail, but it's going to hurt a lot more."

Yellowtail sighed. "I wish I could go hunting. Why do I have to stay in this nurs-" She stopped midsentence and let out an ear-splitting yowl. Swiftbreeze pressed her paw against Yellowtail's belly. "The cubs are coming!" she yelled in excitement.

Sunrise came bounding over to the nursery and shoved his way through the brambles. "The cubs are coming?!" he gasped.

Swiftbreeze nodded and asked, "Do you want to help?"

Yellowtail gritted her teeth together and let out a gasp of pain. The whites of her eyes showed, and her whole body heaved.

One look at his mate and Sunrise's tail tucked between his legs and he shook his head, backing out of the nursery. Swiftbreeze shook her head in amusement. _I should have known. Males act all tough, but are scared of being in the nursery!_ She turned to Yellowtail; her whole body was writhing and heaving.

Swiftbreeze encouraged her, "That's it Yellowtail. It may hurt, but your cubs are coming." Yellowtail nodded, and her body heaved. It was then that Swiftbreeze noticed Hollycub at her side, staring at Yellowtail in fascination. "What are you doing here?'' she hissed.

Hollycub looked up and responded, "I wanted to see the birth. I wanted to watch you."

Swiftbreeze sighed and said, "Okay, you can watch. But don't get in the way!" Hollycub nodded, her eyes sparkling.

Swiftbreeze turned to Yellowtail. Beside her lay a golden male cub. Swiftbreeze licked off the birth membrane and whispered to Yellowtail, "Good job, Yellowtail. Just one more."

Yellowtail heaved, and a wet ball of fur came tumbling into the nest. It was a dusty-gold she-lion. Swiftbreeze bent down to lick the cub, but Hollycub was faster. She bent down and licked the cub to warm it, as perfectly as Swiftbreeze herself could have done.

Swiftbreeze felt Yellowtail's belly and announced, "Well done, Yellowtail! You have two healthy cubs!" Then, raising her voice, she called to Sunrise, "Sunrise! Come see your cubs!"

Sunrise darted into the nursery, and at the sight of his cubs, his eyes brightened. He licked his mate. "Well done, Yellowtail! What should we name our cubs?"

Yellowtail nodded toward the she-lion. "I think we should name her Sandcub."

Sunrise replied, "Good name. I think we should name the golden male Goldencub." Yellowtail nodded, then rested her head on her paws while Sandcub and Goldencub nursed.

Sunrise and Frostfur retreated out of the nursery and Swiftbreeze smiled at Yellowtail. "The Clan has many cubs," she whispered.

"Yes," Yellowtail murmured, staring happily at the two little cubs at her belly. She looked at Swiftbreeze anxiously. "Will the Clan accept Sunrise into WaterClan? I don't… I don't think I could be happy without him."

"I think Lightningclaw will be okay with him," Swiftbreeze soothed, but Yellowtail knew her friend well enough to know that Swiftbreeze wasn't sure.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: We're really into this story, and we're glad other people like it too! All the new characters might seem a little confusing, but don't worry, you won't need to know them all. The ones that are essential to the plot we'll be introducing, and the other apprentices will just be minor characters. Similarly, you won't need to know all their mentors; if that comes up in the story, we'll just tell you who the apprentice's mentor is.**

 **I don't think we've mentioned this before, but we do not own Warriors or any of the characters (not that we used any of them). The only things we own are our OCs (of which there are many).**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 17 | A New Hope**

"Accept a _rogue_?" Lightningclaw was aghast and the two lions winced.

"Lightningclaw," Swiftbreeze said reasonably, "if we accepted Frostfur and Windrunner and Riverclaw and their cubs, we should allow Sunrise into the Clan. He's Yellowtail's mate."

"I don't know what I would do without him," Yellowtail whispered. "He and my cubs are my life."

"I guess we could try it," Lightningclaw mused, settling down. "But if he shows any signs of disloyalty…." His eyes hardened. The lions didn't have to ask what Lightningclaw would do.

"Thanks, Lightningclaw!" Yellowtail squealed, elated. "Sunrise is going to be so happy!"

 **()()()()**

Five moons later, Swiftbreeze returned to her den to find Hollycub telling her littermates Honeycub and Dustcub furiously, "No, you can't get in here! The herbs in here are dangerous!"

Swiftbreeze agreed, "Yes, cubs. The medicine den isn't a playpen."

"But we're bored!" protested Honeycub.

"Yeah, and Poppycub dared us to get honey," Dustcub piped up.

Swiftbreeze sighed. She ducked into her den and returned with some honeycomb. "This is for all of you except Poppycub. Tell Dawncub, Stormcub, Thundercub and Falconcub they can have some honey. Poppycub can't have any."

The cubs raced off. "Wait!" Swiftbreeze called. "Hollycub, come back!" The black cub turned and padded back.

"What is it?" Hollycub asked.

Swiftbreeze waited until no one could hear her. "In a moon, you'll be ready to be apprenticed," she began.

Immediately Hollycub squeaked, "Can I be your apprentice? I want to be your apprentice! Please please please? I really want to be a medicine wolf!"

Swiftbreeze laughed and said, "All right. You can be my apprentice, I promise. That was what I was going to ask, too."

"Thank you Swiftbreeze!" Hollycub darted back to the nursery. "Falconcub, I bet you can't find a beetle faster than Thundercub!"

Swiftbreeze sighed as she watched the energetic cubs. _I'm older than Yellowtail now. I'll probably die in another twenty seasons. And look at all these cubs… The IceClan invasion will happen soon and we'll be spread thin trying to protect our territory and the cubs. I hope the invasion happens after the cubs have had a chance to train. Luckily IceClan won't have a reason to invade soon since they don't know we have cubs._

 **()()()()**

One day, Riverclaw, Lightningclaw, and Yellowtail came back to camp with seven IceClan warriors following them: Quietrain, Growlthroat, Ferncloud, Redheart, Firefoot, Hazeltail, and Songbird. The cubs, who were playing in the clearing, flattened their ears and bared their tiny little teeth at the warriors. Thundercub snarled softly, "Intruders! How dare they come into our camp?" Frostfur came trotting over and put herself between the IceClan warriors and the cubs, as though shielding them.

She growled through gritted teeth, "I don't know, Thundercub, but the warriors must have good reason to bring them to camp."

Windrunner ran over to the IceClan warriors and circled them, growling. Sunrise came also, baring his teeth. Although he hadn't been to a Howl Time before, he felt fiercely loyal to WaterClan, and he knew that IceClan was an evil Clan.

After talking with Redheart, Lightningclaw raised his head and announced in a clear, strong voice, "These seven warriors wish to join WaterClan. They do not agree with the evil of IceClan, and wish to join us."

Songbird nodded and added, "Yes. We do not like what IceClan and Snowstar have been doing, which includes torturing SnowClan warriors and brutally raising our cubs to fight like monsters. My only cub, Blackcub, was tortured and killed to make an example. We wish to join WaterClan."

Frostfur called out, "FrostClan and ThornClan have long been known to be sneaky. What if these warriors are here to spy?" The IceClan warriors looked shocked at the very idea of them spying, but said nothing.

Riverclaw responded, "Lightningclaw, Yellowtail, and I are well aware of these possibilities. However, we should not judge each other just because they come from a hated Clan. We will give them a chance to prove that they really are loyal to WaterClan." Turning his head to the IceClan warriors, he said, "But don't think that you are off the hook. We will be closely guarding you, but if you prove yourselves to be loyal WaterClan warriors, we will trust you as full Clanmates." The IceClan warriors nodded in agreement.

Lightningclaw spoke to the Clan, "These warriors are Growlthroat, Quietrain, Ferncloud, Redheart, Firefoot, Hazeltail, and Songbird." Then he said to them, "You can go collect moss for your nest. Sunrise and Riverclaw will go with you." With that, they filed out through the fern tunnel.

 **()()()()**

One moon later, Thundercub, Dawncub, Falconcub, Stormcub, Poppycub, Dustcub, Honeycub, and Hollycub stood proudly, with their fur well groomed and their eyes sparkling in excitement. Lightningclaw stood in front of them, with a proud expression on his face.

Lightningclaw said, "Thundercub, Dawncub, Falconcub, Stormcub, Poppycub, Dustcub, Honeycub, and Hollycub, please come forward." All eight stepped forward, their eyes shining. Lightningclaw continued, "From this day forward until you receive your warrior names, or medicine wolf name, you will be known as Thunderpaw, Dawnpaw, Falconpaw, Stormpaw, Poppypaw, Dustpaw, Honeypaw, and Hollypaw. Thunderpaw will be with Redheart, Dawnpaw with Windrunner, Falconpaw with Firefoot, Stormpaw with Riverclaw, Poppypaw with Songbird, Dustpaw with Growlthroat, Honeypaw with Hazeltail, and Hollypaw with Swiftbreeze."

Lightningclaw took a step back, and, raising his eyes to the sky, he howled, "Thunderpaw! Dawnpaw! Falconpaw! Stormpaw! Poppypaw! Dustpaw! Honeypaw! Hollypaw!" The rest of the Clan joined in, raising their voices to welcome the new apprentices.

Lightningclaw raised his voice and announced, "One more thing. Ferncloud is expecting cubs! So is Quietrain!" The Clan fell silent for a moment, but then burst into a volley of congratulations for Redheart, Ferncloud, Quietrain, and Growlthroat.

The warrior apprentices all swarmed out the exit to camp on a tour of the territory, Windrunner and Riverclaw carefully watching the FrostClan warriors. Soon Hollypaw, Lightningclaw, and the lions were the only ones left in the near-empty camp. Yellowtail and Sunrise left on hunting patrol, and Lightningclaw went to patrol the ThornClan border.

"Can we start training now?" squeaked Hollypaw. "Dustpaw's always getting thorns stuck in his paw. Actually, can we tour the territory? I want to- No wait! I'm going to sleep in the apprentice den!" Hollypaw let out a high-pitched squeal. "Actually- no wait-"

It was obvious that Hollypaw was too excited to decide on something. Swiftbreeze laughed with her energetic apprentice and wondered how in MoonClan she was going to train this energy ball. "Let's go get some herbs and I'll show you the territory on the way. Then I'll show you how to get rid of a thorn in someone's paw."

"YES YES YES!" Hollypaw bounced around until Swiftbreeze hauled her through the entrance by her scruff.

"If you don't calm down I'll feed you poppy seeds," Swiftbreeze half-jokingly warned.

Hollypaw immediately became more subdued. Even _she_ knew that poppy seeds would put her to sleep and she didn't want to sleep through her first day of training. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the Cold Cave entrance.

"That's the Cold Cave," Swiftbreeze explained.

"Ooh! Windrunner told me about it!" Hollypaw kept on chattering until Swiftbreeze faced her and Hollypaw ran into Swiftbreeze's flank.

"What did I tell you?" Swiftbreeze chided firmly.

"Sorry."

Swiftbreeze sighed. "This is watermint," she said, pointing to a clump of lush blue-green leafy plants. "It grows in water and is used to treat bellyache."

Hollypaw screwed up her eyes, thinking. "I didn't see much of it. Do we need to get more?"

"Yes, we do," Swiftbreeze said, impressed.

Immediately Hollypaw carefully and deftly plucked the best watermint leaves. "Can I bring these back to camp? I remember where it is."

"Wait," Swiftbreeze said. She pointed with her tail to a clump of leafy green plants. "That is borage," she explained. "It is used to help-"

"Oh, I know, I know!" Hollypaw interrupted. "Borage is used to help queen's milk flow. We will need some for Ferncloud (I noticed that she is expecting cubs) when she moves to the nursery. And, I think Quietrain might be expecting cubs. She might just be fat, but I don't know."

Swiftbreeze was impressed. "How do you know all this stuff? I never taught you anything."

Hollypaw replied happily, "Well, one day I noticed that Ferncloud was a little slower than usual, and now I'm kinda noticing Quietrain looks heavier too. I know about the borage because, well, I don't know. I think I remember smelling it in the nursery because you fed it to my mother, and her milk flowed heavier."

"Wow," Swiftbreeze breathed.

Hollypaw asked, "Can I go drop off these herbs back to the camp?"

"Sure," Swiftbreeze said. Hollypaw dashed off to camp. "Better burn off some energy," she muttered under her breath. She couldn't believe how smart her apprentice was. Hollypaw's eyes missed nothing!

Hollypaw was back in a blink of an eye and seemed less energetic from the sprint. "Where next?"

"I'll show you the territory and where everything grows," Swiftbreeze said. They patrolled FrostClan and ThornClan and met up with the other apprentices at the Howl Time place.

By the time Hollypaw and Swiftbreeze got back to camp, it was almost twilight. Swiftbreeze went out hunting and told Hollypaw she could have something from the fresh-kill pile. The other apprentices and their mentors thundered back into camp right before Swiftbreeze returned.

Honeypaw and Dustpaw, Hollypaw's littermates, settled next to her on the flat rocks.

"Growlthroat showed me how to hunt!" squeaked Dustpaw.

"But you didn't catch anything," Honeypaw pointed out.

"Swiftbreeze is going to show me how to hunt tomorrow," Hollypaw said. "I'm going to hunt and fight and heal for WaterClan!" She growled in a slightly squeaky way.

Honeypaw laughed and said, "Well, Firefoot and Hazeltail showed Falconpaw and I how to collect moss!"

"That doesn't sound very interesting," Dustpaw said hesitantly.

"It's not," Honeypaw sighed, dramatically flopping a paw over her head. "It's the most boring thing ever…"

"Honeypaw's just mad because Hazeltail wouldn't let her pretend to be leader at the Howl Time place," Falconpaw teased, joining the conversation.

"Honeypaw!" Dustpaw gasped. "You tried to be leader?!"

"Um…."

"Honestly, I wanted to pretend to be leader too," Falconpaw defended. "But, um, I have more self-control."

"You do not!" Honeypaw snapped. She tackled Falconpaw, who quickly rolled out of her grasp.

"Hey!" Falconpaw teased. "Tackling me is against the Rules of Apprenticeship. I'm going to get Firefoot, my mentor, to ratify that."

"Just you? Only tackling you is against the rules?" Hollypaw checked.

"Yes."

Immediately Hollypaw lunged for Honeypaw and pinned her. "Hey!" Honeypaw protested, but she couldn't get out of Hollypaw's death grip. "You wait until Hazeltail's made me a warrior and you won't be able to tackle me! Hazeltail's better than your mentor!"

"No trash talk," Falconpaw warned.

"You are not a warrior yet," Dustpaw pointed out.

"I will be!"

Honeypaw finally got Hollypaw off her by enlisting Falconpaw. "Falconpaw! Help me!"

All littermates, Thunderpaw, Dawnpaw, Stormpaw, and Poppypaw came bounding over, each with fresh-kill in their jaws. Just as Falconpaw lept to Honeypaw's rescue, Stormpaw came charging in and bowled him over. Dawnpaw came and shoved Hollypaw off of Honeypaw, mock fighting her. Soon, all the apprentices were engaged in a huge mock battle.

Lightningclaw, Frostfur, Swiftbreeze, and Songbird stood nearby, watching the fighting apprentices with amusement. "They'll make great warriors one day," remarked Lightningclaw.

"Yes," Swiftbreeze laughed. "Looks like my apprentice doesn't need battle training." Indeed, Hollypaw had dominated Honeypaw and it took Falconpaw, Thunderpaw, and Dustpaw together to get her off Honeypaw.

"Look at Thunderpaw!" exclaimed Redheart as he padded up to join the other warriors. "He's using that battle move I showed him!" All the warriors watched as Thunderpaw lunged up, and instead of squashing Dustpaw, dived under him and kicked Dustpaw across the clearing. Then he raced over and mock scratched his belly.

"Don't stay up late!" Frostfur and Windrunner called to their cubs. "And don't disturb Yellowtail's cubs! They're two moons younger than you are."

"We won't and we won't," chirped Falconpaw.

"Isn't Falconpaw so smart and cute?" Honeypaw fawned to Hollypaw.

"Um, I guess so," Hollypaw said. Being a medicine wolf apprentice, she had no interest in Honeypaw's love life nonsense. "Bye." She padded to her nest in the medicine den.

Honeypaw kept gazing after Falconpaw. She whispered to Dawnpaw, "Do you think Falconpaw notices me?"

"Males don't notice anything," scoffed Dawnpaw. "Wait, do you like him?"

"Keep it a secret!" Honeypaw growled.

"All right," Dawnpaw agreed, a little taken aback at Honeypaw's sharp tone. The two she-wolves curled up in their nests next to each other. They'd been friends since their birth.

Falconpaw tugged his bit of moss next to Dawnpaw and Dustpaw. He'd liked Honeypaw and Dawnpaw as friends since he was two moons old, but he wasn't blind. He could tell that Honeypaw kept sneaking looks at him. But training came first. Once he was a warrior, then maybe he'd have a mate. He whispered to Dustpaw, "Who's your mentor?"

"Growlthroat," whispered Dustpaw. "Who's yours?"

"Firefoot."

"Be quiet!" Thunderpaw growled. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"Yeah, guys," Dawnpaw agreed.

"Sorry," whispered Dustpaw and Falconpaw.

 **A/N: Sorry about all the confusing characters! For now, you just need to know about Lightningclaw, Yellowtail, Swiftbreeze, Frostfur, and possibly Riverclaw. Later on a couple of the apprentices will become important but we're really planning on developing those characters.**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey, two chapter in one day! Is this even possible? ;) Warning - the ending of this is kinda dark. This is honestly my favorite chapter, but you might not agree... You'll see why.**

 **This is the start of the climax! I'm excited! Action! We like writing actions scenes... and reading action scenes...  
**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18 | Invasion**

"Dawnpaw! Get up!" hissed Honeypaw.

Dawnpaw blearily rubbed her eyes. "What for? It's not dawn yet."

Six moons had passed and the apprentices all knew that Honeypaw had a crush on Falconpaw now. In addition to that, which Hollypaw did not care for, the apprentices now knew how to hunt, fight, and in Hollypaw's case, heal very well. Swiftbreeze had even taught her how to assist a queen in giving birth. Ferncloud had two males and one she-wolf, delivered by Hollypaw. Their names were Hawkcub, Duskcub, and Mothcub.

"If you don't come see this I'll put shriveled moss in your nest!" hissed Honeypaw.

Dawnpaw sat up and carefully followed Honeypaw out. "What's the big rush?"

Honeypaw pointed at the ridge. Starkly outlined against the bright moon were countless IceClan warriors.

"Tell Lightningclaw!" hissed Dawnpaw. She spun around and howled as loudly as she could, "Invasion!"

"Falconpaw is on guard up there!" The whites of Honeypaw's eyes showed as she paled in fear.

Dawnpaw bit down a curse. "We could take matters into our own paws… hey Dustpaw, get over here!" Dustpaw sensed the urgency in her voice and dashed over. "What is it?"

Honeypaw quickly filled him in.

"Okay," Dustpaw whispered. "Let's do this… One of us sneaks up and hides Falconpaw. And one of us warns the warriors. Then the battle distracts all the IceClan warriors, or most of them, and then we can sneak in and get Falconpaw."

He glanced over at the sleeping apprentices. "Wake up, guys!" Dustpaw whispered loudly.

Stormpaw blearily opened his eyes. "What is it?" he mumbled sleepily.

Honeypaw hissed, "IceClan is attacking! They've got Falconpaw trapped!"

The apprentices sprang up. Dustpaw whispered, "Poppypaw, take the tunnels to the warriors' den and warn the warriors!" Poppypaw nodded and dashed into the tunnel.

"What if it's too late?" whispered Honeypaw, her voice rising to a wail. "He could be dead already!"

"We need Hollypaw," Dawnpaw snapped efficiently. "She'll fix his wounds."

"Hollypaw's needed in the battle," Dustpaw retorted.

"No, she's going to heal afterwards like Swiftbreeze. Hollypaw! Get over here!"

Hollypaw dashed over, approved the plan, and volunteered herself and her black pelt to do the sneaking part in less than three heartbeats.

"Someone's hyper," Dustpaw mumbled sleepily as the apprentices took their places.

"Shut up!" Honeypaw hissed. "Falconpaw's life is on the line!"

As Hollypaw snuck up the ridge right next to the entrance of camp, Honeypaw realized that something was very, very wrong. Sixteen IceClan warriors pinned Falconpaw and looked around, their beady malicious eyes searching for something.

Something meant _Hollypaw_ , Honeypaw realized in an instant. "Abort! Hollypaw, abort!" she screamed. But it was too late. Hollypaw had fallen into the IceClan trap.

Dustpaw met up with Honeypaw. He too had had the realization. "They're going to hold Hollypaw and Falconpaw for ransom," he whispered hoarsely. "We played right into their hands."

Frostfur and Windrunner came tearing into the apprentices' den. "Is everybody okay?" whispered Windrunner.

Dustpaw replied, "They've got Falconpaw and Hollypaw trapped! They're planning for a ransom!"

Windrunner and Frostfur exchanged horrified glances. Frostfur looked up to the bright, cold moon and murmured, "Oh, MoonClan, keep our cubs safe."

Lightningclaw came padding quickly out of the tunnel into the apprentices den with Poppypaw following, ducking to avoid the brambles. He growled, "Apprentices, that was a very foolish thing to do. You need to always tell me first. I won't punish you… this time. IceClan is invading. Try to stay with your mentors, but if you get separated, use your skills wisely. Fight like rogues if you must. IceClan no longer fights by the warrior code. They will fight to the death if they must."

"Poppypaw and Honeypaw," he lowered his broad head and looked them squarely in the eye. "You two are great stalkers. I need you two to spy on IceClan. I cannot stress this enough: stay out of sight. Those fox-hearts would kill you two on sight. If you see them harm Hollypaw or Falconpaw, come back and report to me. Also, try to find out their plans, and how many of them are here. Stormpaw will go with you. Split up to find out more information. If you need us, we will be in the Cold Cave. Now, go, and stay out of sight." The three apprentices darted out of the den, hopefully unnoticed by IceClan.

Lightningclaw turned to the rest of them. "Sneak into the Cold Cave. There are tunnels leading to it in each of the dens." He stepped back and waited until all had gone into the tunnel beneath a bed of brambles, then followed them down the cold, musty cave.

When they got to the Cold Cave, the rest of the warriors, Yellowtail and her cubs, and Swiftbreeze were all waiting in a dark corner. At the sight of their leader, they padded out and listened while Lightningclaw addressed them. "IceClan does not know that we are here. Two of our apprentices, Hollypaw and Falconpaw, have been taken captive, and Stormpaw, Poppypaw, and Honeypaw are currently spying on IceClan. I have a battle plan." All the warriors listened closely.

"We will split into two groups: Riverclaw, I want you to lead one group. Take with you Redheart, Thunderpaw, Firefoot, Frostfur, Hazeltail, and Songbird. I will lead the other group: Growlthroat, Dustpaw, Windrunner, Dawnpaw, and Ferncloud. Sunrise, stay with Yellowtail and the cubs down here to protect them. Riverclaw, you will sneak behind IceClan and begin the initial battle by attacking them. My group will attack from the leader's den. Swiftbreeze, stay well hidden and heal our warriors if injured. Fight if necessary. All of you, fight like rogues if you have to. IceClan will fight dirty. Also, mentors, try to stay with your apprentices. May MoonClan be watching over us." With that last statement, the wolves separated into their groups.

Swiftbreeze thought, Lightningclaw seems so grown up. What happened to the little cub Yellowtail and I raised? But then, Lightningclaw came bounding up to her with the excited glint in his eyes that he always had before a fight. He said, with a playful sparkle in his eyes, "If they have a medicine wolf with them, I'll remember what you and Leopardclaw taught me." Swiftbreeze grinned, remembering fondly the time when Lightningclaw had been an apprentice; she, Yellowtail, Leopardclaw, Stormstar, and Sparrowstar had fought Lightningpaw. He had learned that in order to win a battle, he must first defeat the medicine wolf/lion, and then the rest of the Clan would be vulnerable.

Lightningclaw led his group through one of the many tunnels in the Cold Cave, thinking, _I hope I'm not leading my Clan into danger._ He shook his head. Lightningclaw knew that he had to focus on the battle, and not what could become of it.

As they neared the leader's den, Lightningclaw became more and more excited as he heard the battle howls of his warriors and IceClan's. He quickened his pace, and carefully jumped from boulder to boulder that would lead them up to the forest.

Finally, Lightningclaw and his group were in the forest. They bounded through the undergrowth and around trees to where the other wolves were fighting. Peeking through a bush, Lightningclaw's heart nearly stopped- tons of IceClan warriors were brutally fighting his warriors, three-on-one. WaterClan was greatly outnumbered.

Lightningclaw drew in a sharp breath and howled, "WaterClan, attack!" He and his group streamed through the bushes and attacked the IceClan warriors. With an ear-splitting howl, Lightningclaw launched himself into the swarm of fighting wolves. Riverclaw looked up from tackling Birchheart and gave Lightningclaw a nod of gratitude. Lightningclaw just blinked excitedly, then turned and bowled over Mossfire, taking the red-brown warrior by surprise. She jumped up, but he was ready. Lightningclaw grabbed her scruff and swung her at Waspfeather, knocking both of them over. Then he pounced on them and slashed at their stomachs and faces. They howled in rage and pain, then scampered away into the undergrowth.

Feeling pleased with himself, Lightningclaw shoved through the wolves, and remembering to take down the medicine wolves, looked for Gorsepelt, Cedarheart, and Lilypond. He sniffed the air, and finally located their scents nearly masked with marigold smell behind a nearby oak. Dropping down into a stalking crouch, he crept up to them.

Without warning, he launched himself at them and slammed right into them. Lightningclaw swiped Cedarheart away from the tree and clawed him in the muzzle. The wolves stared at Lightningclaw's huge bulk for a second before their measly training kicked in. Lilypond aimed weak strikes at Lightningclaw's muzzle that barely connected with fur while Gorsepelt and Cedarheart seemed reluctant to fight.

"Go," Lightningclaw snarled, his fur bushing up. "Out of my territory. Now."

The three wolves tripped over themselves in an effort to scramble out of WaterClan territory.

Lightningclaw watched them go, then tore the herbs apart till they were nothing but little slivers of plants, scattered and buried in the ground. Then he raced back into the battle.

 **()()()()**

Stormpaw, Honeypaw and Hollypaw stalked the edge of camp to where Falconpaw was hidden. They got him out, and all was going well until one of the IceClan warriors lost his balance. He tripped over a rock, obviously unused to the kind of ground near the WaterClan camp, and his point of view shifted. The three apprentices were starkly outlined.

He roared and all sixteen of the warriors leaped for the apprentices. "RUN!" Honeypaw screamed. The two she-wolves made it, but Falconpaw's bulkier frame was immediately injured. He screamed in pain.

Honeypaw stood frozen in shock while Hollypaw tried to lift Falconpaw away. "We need herbs!"

Snowstar padded forward and faced the three apprentices. "Trying to do a little rescue mission, huh?" Her eyes gleamed, and she howled, "IceClan, attack!" A swarm of IceClan warriors lunged for the apprentices; it was at that moment, however, that Riverclaw and his group lunged out from hiding and attacked IceClan. Honeypaw and Stormpaw dragged Falconpaw into the bushes.

Frostfur came hurtling into the bushes. Her eyes darkened at the sight of her unconscious cub. A deep snarl sounded in her throat. She grasped Falconpaw by his scruff and muttered around her mouthful of fur, "Stormpaw, if you can, Riverclaw needs you. Lightningclaw wants all apprentices to stay with their mentors." Frostfur nodded at Hollypaw and Honeypaw. "I need you two to come with me. I'm taking him to Swiftbreeze." Stormpaw dashed off and the two she-wolves followed Frostfur.

Once at the medicine den, Frostfur gently laid Falconpaw down on a makeshift bed of moss, then left to go fight. Swiftbreeze and Hollypaw worked hard to get him put back together. Falconpaw was injured worse than Lightningclaw had ever been.

"Will he live?" whimpered Honeypaw as Falconpaw hissed in pain, too weak to do anything more than that, and then slid back into unconsciousness.

"I don't know," Hollypaw said as she patched up a large belly slice. "It's almost certainly-" She realized what she was going to say and stopped.

"You mean he's probably going to die," Honeypaw whispered, her voice shaking.

"I didn't- I- well, I don't know." Hollypaw sounded unsure as if she was positive that Falconpaw would die. Honeypaw's emotions wavered even more.

Swiftbreeze's crisp, efficient tone sounded. "Honeypaw, please go help with the battle."

Honeypaw had never disobeyed Swiftbreeze before, but this was different. She wanted her own face to be the first thing Falconpaw saw when he woke up. She looked Swiftbreeze in the eye like she'd seen Yellowtail do to Sunrise. "No. I'm staying. I'm staying with Falconpaw."

Swiftbreeze looked like she expected this to be her answer. "Then go stand guard." She looked into her stores and winced. "Hollypaw, we're out of marigold. Please get the horsetail and remind me after the battle to collect some more marigold, but with a warrior. It only grows on the FrostC- I mean, IceClan border." Her apprentice nodded and scampered off.

After a long while on guard, Honeypaw began to get more anxious. Falconpaw couldn't die! He had a life ahead of him. Now, if Riverclaw died, she would be fine-

She colored red. All her Clanmates were precious, no matter how old they were or how well she knew them or what sort of a destiny they had. Honeypaw stuck her head back into the den. "Is he all right?"

"Yes," Swiftbreeze called. "You can move him to the apprentice den or somewhere safer and stand guard for him."

Honeypaw gave a crisp nod, happy to do something for her Clanmate. She picked Falconpaw up by the scruff of his neck and raised her head high, determined to not let him touch the ground. She jumped over perilous boulders to get to her destination: a small, unnoticed cave next to the leader's den. Although it was crawling with mice and prey and had a good source of water, no one would ever look at it because its entrance was too small for even Swiftbreeze to get into.

However, a small wolf apprentice could easily slide through, so Honeypaw carefully placed Falconpaw inside the dimly lit cave and then slid through herself. A glance down to camp assured her that Swiftbreeze knew where they were.

Heartbeats turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours and still the battle cries raged on. Honeypaw started pacing. She knew it should be her down there, fighting for the battle. Then she stiffened as IceClan warriors pounded past the den.

In a way, she _was_ fighting for WaterClan, by protecting an injured Clanmate.

Just as she'd predicted, no one spared a second glance at the cave. Once she was sure that the enemies were past, she caught a mouse to eat and lapped some water. It was too dark for her to use her tiny knowledge of first aid skills on Falconpaw, though his head seemed hot. Honeypaw couldn't remember if this meant the heat was killing infection or if he'd gotten a disease and the heat was killing that, or if he was just overheating.

Honeypaw wished Hollypaw were there. Despite being only halfway through her training, Hollypaw could probably diagnose an IceClan warrior while the warrior tried to kill her.

Just as she thought that, Hollypaw shrieked, louder and more terribly than Honeypaw had ever heard her, accompanied by an IceClan warrior's savage growl.

"How could you?" Hollypaw wailed. "You savages! I can't believe you did this! Why would you wound an already hurt warrior?"

"Shut up if you don't want us to do it again- this time to you," the IceClan warrior snapped. With a jolt, Honeypaw realized that the voice belonged to Snowstar.

The sounds of Snowstar jumping onto the Great Rock tingled Honeypaw's ear fur. "Attention WaterClan," she hissed loudly. "IceClan is taking over your camp. Any dissenters will be killed immediately. Surrender now."

 **()()()()**

Hollypaw shrank into the medicine den as Snowstar made her proclamation. IceClan warriors flooded the camp. Swiftbreeze leaned down at Hollypaw and whispered, "Hide in the herb stores! There's a small crack and it might be too small if so go into the Cold Cave through another entrance because there isn't an entrance in this den-"

An IceClan warrior pulled Swiftbreeze away. Shaking with fear and exhaustion, Hollypaw shakily pulled herself into the crack in the herb stores, remembering to grab a bit of wet moss and a mouse before she went. She didn't know how long her black pelt would have to blend in with the shady rock.

Trembling, Hollypaw listened to the terrible announcements happening. "As an example of what happens when you defy IceClan," Snowstar growled in a terrible voice, "we'll show you with your medicine lion."

A scream sounded. Snowstar listened with satisfaction. "Soon. Soon you'll realize that resistance is futile. IceClan is always superior."

Yellowtail screamed, "Let my friend go!" It was distant and faded, but there.

"We'll deal with her later," Snowstar hissed. Her head snapped back to Swiftbreeze. One motion of Snowstar's tail, and Darkfire stepped up. In the blink of an eye, Darkfire was bending Swiftbreeze backwards with the most savage expression possible on her face.

"Surrender now," Snowstar hissed. "Or Darkfire will kill you."

Hollypaw's heart nearly stopped. She darted out of the den. "Stop! Don't! Kill me instead!" she screamed.

"No, Hollypaw," Swiftbreeze rasped. "This is my destiny. MoonClan told me-" Darkfire pressed her claws against Swiftbreeze's throat and she exploded into coughs.

"Less talk," Darkfire sneered.

"Don't… surrender," Swiftbreeze managed to Hollypaw, ignoring Darkfire. "Have faith in MoonClan."

Hollypaw stood frozen. She couldn't believe that MoonClan would want Swiftbreeze to die... but at least she would get to die a hero.

"I'll only give you one chance," Snowstar hissed. "Do you surrender to IceClan?"

Swiftbreeze coughed again. Darkfire sliced the edge of her cheek. Swiftbreeze looked up for the last time and defiantly stared Snowstar in the eye. "Never."

It happened in slow motion to Hollypaw. Darkfire slammed Swiftbreeze to the ground and lifted her claws. She slit Swiftbreeze's throat and blood poured out.

Finally Hollypaw became unfrozen and she lunged for Darkfire, but it was too late. "Swiftbreeze!" Hollypaw screamed. "Don't leave me! Please!"

Swiftbreeze's head turned painfully to Hollypaw's, frozen with grief. Swiftbreeze's eyes were already glassy. Darkfire slit her throat again. Swiftbreeze spasmed once, then was still.

All the life drained out of her.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, you're going to hate us for this... please don't! You'll see why! And don't forget that Swiftbreeze will go to MoonClan and Hollypaw will see her there!**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short! The beginning of this chapter is also a little dark, but after this the story won't be so dark anymore.**

 **Also, to answer a question from the reviews, yes, we are in school. We aren't sure if our writing will slow down at that point, but probably. The reason we're updating so fast on this one is because we already have it all written out, so if we make a sequel it might be updated a bit more slowly.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Chapter 19 | Dead**

For a long time after that, all Hollypaw could remember were Swiftbreeze's cold, glassy eyes. It didn't matter that Honeypaw and Falconpaw were trapped in a cave, horribly injured. It didn't matter that their camp was taken over by their greatest enemies. It didn't even matter that every one of her Clanmates was injured to the point of permanent lameness or scarring.

What mattered was Swiftbreeze.

Hollypaw had been closer to Swiftbreeze than any other wolf or lion, even her own mother. The world became blurry after that. She knew important things were happening. But Hollypaw refused to let go of Swiftbreeze's dull, lifeless body.

Light faded into night, and still Hollypaw sobbed over Swiftbreeze. She could still remember Swiftbreeze's last words to her: _Don't surrender. Have faith in MoonClan._ She remembered how Swiftbreeze had given her life for her Clan, how she'd defied Snowstar's words even in the face of death. Eventually Hollypaw ran out of tears to give and she retreated into her now-empty den and came out with rosemary and watermint. She sniffed and sobbed over Swiftbreeze's body as she spread the herbs over the body and said the ritual, now empty and with no meaning. The eldest lions and wolves buried Swiftbreeze; that was the custom. But Hollypaw refused to let anyone else dig the grave.

She worked all day until the hole was deep enough to save Swiftbreeze from the elements, or any hungry predator or fox. She was so overcome, she didn't know if she dug by the friendly gaze of WaterClan or the cruel stares of IceClan. It didn't matter. If anyone got in her way, she would fight until they were gone. But Hollypaw couldn't bear to see the body tumble into the grave. She retreated to the den, finding out that there were more tears.

Eventually her body ran dry of tears and she ventured into the clearing. She went to get a mouse, but found herself blocked by two IceClan warriors. So there _were_ IceClan wolves in the camp.

"Let me through," Hollypaw demanded, shocked by the coldness in her voice.

"Orders are any WaterClan wolf left goes out of the territory," the warrior on the left snapped.

"Let. Me. Through," Hollypaw snarled at the guards, three days' worth of grief and anger coming through, giving her hollow strength she never knew she had.

"Make me," hissed the guard.

Without warning, Hollypaw was on top of the guard, churning her legs. She'd never gotten battle training, but somehow she knew what to do. The guard crumpled in pain and she moved on to the next guard, sweeping his legs and slicing his stomach until he crumpled as well.

Hollypaw selected a mouse to eat and settled down, glaring at the guards blackly, taking small bites despite her roaring hunger. Once she was done she stood over the felled guards. "Where is WaterClan?"

"I dunno. Somewhere in the woods." But at the sight of Hollypaw rearing, her claws thorn-sharp, her eyes flaming, he grumbled, "We left them at the Twolegplace border."

"Did they fight back?"

"Of course. But in the end there's not a lot of them and so many more of us."

Hollypaw's rage burned. "Let me see Snowstar."

"Of course," a silky-smooth voice purred behind her. Hollypaw whirled. Darkfire stood there. Hollypaw longed to fight her, to get revenge on her and Snowstar for killing her mentor, but she had to have self-control or she would never live another heartbeat. Although Hollypaw had defeated the two guards easily, she was no match for Darkfire. If she ever fought Darkfire, she would need help from another wolf to even have a chance of defeating her.

"Take me to Snowstar," Hollypaw growled through gritted teeth.

"Right this way," Darkfire purred. Hollypaw followed her into the leader's den. Out of all the audacious things to do, of course Snowstar had taken the leader's den. Hollypaw's pelt burned with anger. The den was Lightningclaw's and Lightningclaw's alone.

As they entered, Snowstar rose from a sitting position, every strand of fur in place as if she'd been grooming herself for moons. "Hello, Hollypaw."

"Get out of my territory and let my Clanmates back in!" Hollypaw snapped.

"That's no way to talk," Snowstar said with a honey-smooth voice. "I'm the powerful leader of three Clans, and I've got a proposal for you."

"What proposal?" Gritting her teeth, inwardly Hollypaw thought, _You're_ not _the leader of WaterClan. Lightningclaw is._

"Would you like to join IceClan?" Snowstar asked as if asking Hollypaw to join her bitterest enemies was completely normal.

Hollypaw let out a barking, jagged laugh. "Me? Join you? The Clan that killed my mentor?"

"You've got the same cold ruthlessness that IceClan prizes. Like it or not, you were meant to join IceClan."

 _That's only because of my grief!_ Hollypaw wanted to yell. But instead she remembered Swiftbreeze's words: _Don't surrender. Have faith in MoonClan._

"So? Will you join?" Snowstar asked.

Hollypaw took a deep breath and remembered Swiftbreeze and her sacrifice do what was right in the face of death. She would do the same. "Never."

Snowstar's eyes burned with rage. _"Kill her!"_

 **()()()()**

Lightningclaw paced the border between WaterClan and Twolegplace. He didn't know what to do. His thoughts churned. _Oh, MoonClan, he thought, how could I… do this? Lead my Clan into an impossible battle with the cruelest wolves on Earth? Force them to fight a battle that would lead to them getting exiled and injured terribly and the evilest wolves to ever live to take over the camp?_ Lightningclaw sighed. He couldn't dwell on the past. Instead, he must continue to care for his Clan, even if it was in a strange territory. He couldn't let his guilt rule him either. He would make up for his mistakes, but he must still lead WaterClan.

Hollypaw came charging out of the bushes, pursued by three IceClan warriors. Her eyes were wild. Lightningclaw bunched his muscles and lunged at Hollypaw's pursuers. He tackled one, and leapt at another, knocking her over. The third, (who was Sharpclaw, Lightningclaw noticed) he circled, snarling. Sharpclaw sneered, "Oh, look. It's Lightning _paw_ , the little apprentice who can't even defend his territory. This'll be an easy fight."

Lightningclaw bristled, and let out a screech of rage. "I'm more able than you are at fighting!" he roared. As he lunged at Sharpclaw, he thought, _This is for you, Leopardclaw._ He slammed his shoulder into Sharpclaw's muzzle, surprising the dark-hearted warrior. Taking advantage of his opponent's shock, Lightningclaw leapt onto Sharpclaw's back, churning with his hind paws and tearing out pawfulls of mottled gray fur. Then, he slithered off his back and twisted under Sharpclaw's belly. Using the strength in his hind legs, Lightningclaw pushed Sharpclaw off of him, sending him flying and howling pathetically into a thornbush. Sharpclaw twisted and turned, struggling to get out of the bush but only succeeding in getting himself filled with thorns, and Lightningclaw, remembering the time when he battled the warrior as an apprentice, twisted Sharpclaw's head to re-fracture his collarbone. Sharpclaw yelped in pain, and, finally escaping the thornbush, retreated into the forest and ran back to IceClan, howling his head off ( _like a cub_ , Lightningclaw thought).

Lightningclaw turned to the other two warriors. He snarled, and fluffed up his fur. The two warriors backed away in fright, then broke out into a full-out run, away from WaterClan, following Sharpclaw. One of the warriors got a thorn driven deep into her paw and she stopped to get it out; but as she saw Lightningclaw she limped away as fast as she could.

Lightningclaw breathed a sigh of relief; Thunderpaw came bounding up and exclaimed, "That was great, Lightningclaw! How did you make Sharpclaw land in the thornbush?" Lightningclaw smiled down at his son.

"I actually didn't mean to throw him in the thornbush, it just happened."

"Well, it was really cool."

Dustpaw padded up. "Yeah, that was great fighting, Lightningclaw!" Although he was congratulating his leader, Lightningclaw could tell what was really on his mind: his sister Hollypaw's welfare.

Lightningclaw just smiled at them, then leaped onto a rock to address his Clan. "WaterClan!" All of WaterClan gathered around the rock and looked up at him expectantly. "I know that we have just suffered a terrible battle with IceClan," Lightningclaw began, "but don't lose hope. WaterClan may be beaten, but we aren't broken. I promise you, we will get our territory back, or I will die trying. For now, although we are in a strange, unknown place, we must gain our strength back, and Hollypaw will be our…" his voice broke a little, remembering Swiftbreeze,"our unofficial medicine wolf. Don't lose hope, WaterClan." With that last statement, Lightningclaw jumped down from the rock and organized two hunting patrols.

 **()()()()**

Hollypaw settled down into her "nest". The scavenged moss-and-dust nest was too hard, too flat. The sharp angles of Twolegplace looming above her did nothing for her feelings, either. Her thoughts kept flicking to Swiftbreeze, whispering that it was her fault Swiftbreeze was dead. That she should've been faster.

The only reason Hollypaw finally fell asleep was because Windrunner spotted her uneasy cub and licked her soothingly until Hollypaw finally slept.

She found herself in MoonClan. Hollypaw had been to MoonClan the couple of times that Swiftbreeze had taken her to the Starpool, but never alone. And there was always a wolf waiting to greet her. This time, the trees sparkled with moonlight as usual, but Hollypaw couldn't appreciate it. "Swiftbreeze!" she called into the empty woods. "Are you here?" She paused. "I need you!"

Finally Swiftbreeze's soul padded out of the trees, just as kind and clever as Hollypaw had always known her to be. "Swiftbreeze!" Hollypaw sobbed, and rubbed her head on Swiftbreeze's chest. "I'm sorry you died. I'm a terrible apprentice! I should've been faster."

"No, little one," Swiftbreeze whispered. "Dying for WaterClan was my destiny. I was glad to do it, to shake Snowstar's confidence."

At the mention of Snowstar, Hollypaw's guilt peaked. "Snowstar said I was meant to join IceClan, that I'm ruthless just like them. Is… is that true?"

"No," Swiftbreeze whispered. "You were always meant to be WaterClan. Snowstar just saw the guilt and anger at IceClan in you and mistook it for something else."

Hollypaw felt relief. Ever since she'd made it to Twolegplace, the fact that she might be meant to be IceClan had been eating away at her. Even though that relief was tiny, for a second all her worries left her.

Then they came back.

Swiftbreeze started padding away. "Wait! Come back!" screamed Hollypaw.

"I have faith in you, Hollypaw," Swiftbreeze said. "Now, your Clanmates need you. Ask Lightningclaw about his dream." Hollypaw woke feeling satisfied that she'd seen Swiftbreeze, but also a little sad that she'd never come back. Hollypaw had lost a lion who seemed part of Hollypaw herself.

 **()()()()**

Lightningclaw was sleeping soundly in his nest that night when Leopardclaw entered his dream of chasing down a deer. Just as he was about to spring in and make the killing bite, Leopardclaw appeared and yelled, "Lightningclaw!"

Lightningclaw spat in annoyance as the deer sped away, but when he saw it was his old mentor, he immediately straightened up and squared his shoulders. "Hi, Leopardclaw," he greeted him.

Leopardclaw dipped his head in greeting, and said, "I have brought a message to you." Lightningclaw leaned his head toward Leopardclaw as he went on, "Tomorrow, you alone will drive out IceClan."

Lightningclaw's eyes widened, and he gasped, "How am I supposed to drive out a whole Clan, and IceClan at that?"

Leopardclaw started to fade away. He responded, "You will know. You will know."

Lightningclaw cried, "Wait, come back! What does it mean?" But all he heard was Leopardclaw's voice echoing in his ears, "You will know. You will know."

 **A/N: Again, sorry this is so short! We had to end it here, however, because we wanted the big battle action to be contained in the next chapter (so this one's sort of a transition).**

 **Please review and thanks for reading!**


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: Action! More action! Pretty much the whole next couple chapters will be action! :)**

 **This is the climax, right here. Lightningclaw attempts to drive out IceClan all by himself.**

 **Again, we own nothing of Warriors except our OCs. Also, I didn't get the chance to say this earlier, but thank you so much to Feraa, Blazing Bright Streak of Light, and The Tree That Fell Silently for commenting! We really love feedback :D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 20 | New Strength**

Hollypaw asked Frostfur, "Where's Lightningclaw's nest?"

"Over by the apprentices' nests," Frostfur replied, pointing with her tail to a large heap of fur surrounded by a bunch of smaller heaps of fur.

"Thanks!" Hollypaw said and raced off to the big heap of fur, careful not to step on the smaller heaps. "Lightningclaw," she whispered, trying not to wake Honeypaw and Falconpaw, "Swiftbreeze came to me in a dream and told me to ask you about yours."

Lightningclaw stretched and got to his feet. "Not here. Let's go over to your nest to talk." The two wolves walked over to Hollypaw's pitiful nest underneath the overhang. "Leopardclaw told me that I'd drive out IceClan," Lightningclaw explained. "All by myself. Today."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Hollypaw asked, some of her old hyperness sparking. "Let's go!" She dashed off into the woods and Lightningclaw grabbed her scruff.

"You need to stay right here," he said firmly. "Falconpaw's been injured badly and the rest of the Clan has scratches and injuries too from the battle."

Hollypaw felt a flush of shame that she hadn't thought to check on her Clanmates' wounds before going to sleep, but she had been tired and shocked with grief. "Fine. I'll put dressings and stuff over everyone's wounds, and then I'm coming with you. You'll get injured, guaranteed, and I can keep my cobweb in the Cold Cave. You need a medicine wolf with you. Also I can help Yellowtail, Sunrise, and the cubs. They're still in there."

"They'll attack you and you won't be able to defend yourself! Without you, we've got no medicine wolf."

"IceClan doesn't know about the Cold Cave. Besides, my presence will be masked considering I have a black pelt, the herbs will wash my scent away-"

"Fine!" Lightningclaw said in exasperation. "You can come. But you need to treat everyone first and show Frostfur how to do basic cobweb and marigold."

"Okay!" Hollypaw suddenly stopped short. "Lightningclaw, I don't have any herbs."

"I'll make a run to our territory to get it."

"That's way too dangerous, considering how marigold only grows on the IceClan border which is sure to be crawling with enemies!"

"I'll make do. Besides, marigold is important, right?"

"Well, yeah, but… horsetail does the same thing! And so does dried oak leaf."

"But marigold's the best, right?"

"Well, yeah, but…" Hollypaw said again.

"Then the matter's settled. I'll get herbs from the territory and bring them back to you." Lightningclaw didn't wait for Hollypaw's response and instead leaped over a log into the IceClan scent marks.

Everywhere Lightningclaw went, it was flooded with IceClan scent. His WaterClan scent was standing out way too much so he smoothly slipped into a fast, cold stream, letting it take his scent off. Then he rubbed a fern frond gently against himself and then stood in the strong IceClan scent. Now he smelled (mostly) IceClan-ish.

Lightningclaw carefully stalked close to the ground. When he made it to the clearing where Snowstar had given Yellowtail a choice resulting in their injuries and the invasion, he stopped. He'd never go there again. It was a reminder that wolves were more vicious than their species should allow. Instead he veered around the ferns that were the edge of the clearing and carefully picked as much marigold as he could, careful to leave the roots in to let them grow.

Lightningclaw was on the edge of WaterClan, ready to jump back over the log to Twolegplace when they found him.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!"

Lightningclaw cursed inwardly. He recognized that voice. Turning around, he sighed, "Hello, Darkfire."

"Hello, Lightningclaw," Darkfire snarled. "You're on my territory. Did you know that or are you too dumb to realize it?"

"This is my territory," Lightningclaw hissed, coldness seeping into his voice. He knew that he'd have to win this fight to stop Darkfire from attacking him in the Twolegplace "camp". And it would be harder to fight her while trying to protect his Clanmates; plus Darkfire was smart enough to realize that if she held one of the wolves ransom, he'd stop fighting.

Then Snowstar appeared. "Are you going to try to fight us both?" she hissed. Lightningclaw knew that both of these wolves had no respect for the warrior code, but he was a better fighter. Or at least more honorable.

"Yes," Lightningclaw answered, "and I'm going to win."

Without warning, both she-wolves leaped for Lightningclaw. He rolled out of their target zone and leaped onto Snowstar's back, churning his legs with no mercy. She wouldn't die but she deserved to for her unspeakable crimes.

Darkfire hauled him off with rippling muscles in her stocky body, throwing herself on top of him. He rolled her over but was kept so busy by her paw strikes that he forgot about Snowstar, who'd stopped clawing and grappling but was getting ready to fight in a very different way. Lightningclaw caught a glimpse of white fur by some large rocks, but he couldn't get distracted.

A boulder fell from the sky and knocked him out.

 **()()()()**

When he came to, he was lying inside a very familiar bramble structure. He remembered milk-scents and Quailfur and…

 _The nursery!_ Those fox-hearts had taken him prisoner to his _very own camp_.

Lightningclaw peeked through a little hole in the wall to look at his guards: Swallowtail and Emberfoot. He scooted out of the entrance to face them, but before they attacked, he asked politely, "Could you two please inform Snowstar that I'm going to drive IceClan out of my territory?"

Swallowtail scoffed, "Why? And besides, one wolf can't drive out an entire powerful Clan."

Emberfoot agreed, "We should just attack you right now and get you back into the nursery." The two IceClan wolves bared their teeth, snarled, and leaped onto Lightningclaw.

"WaterClan is mine!" howled Lightningclaw.

"Never," Emberfoot hissed.

The great battle between Lightningclaw and IceClan had begun.

 **()()()()**

Hollypaw began to get anxious when Lightningclaw didn't return by sunhigh. She ventured into WaterClan territory, the sharp IceClan scent irritating her sensitive nose. Immediately she picked up Lightningclaw scent… but also Darkfire and Snowstar scent. _Swiftbreeze murderer scent._

Hollypaw struggled to get over her feelings. She had a job to do and this wasn't it. She quickly picked up all the marigold she could find in good condition, which was a lot, and then she sniffed around to see what had happened in the clearing. Blood-scent, fear-scent, and the imprint of a wolf's head beneath a boulder. And then drag lines from that boulder.

She knew what had happened.

Hollypaw dashed back over the border. There wasn't much she could do for Lightningclaw now. She healed all her Clanmates' injuries, all fading into a blur. The battle had started or would start soon and she needed to be at the Cold Cave.

But she couldn't rush Falconpaw's injury. This was a huge injury, and she'd never healed something like it without Swiftbreeze. But Swiftbreeze seemed occupied, as she didn't appear from MoonClan, so Hollypaw looked at the wound, and then looked away and winced. Falconpaw seemed shredded, but still alive. "Honeypaw! Get me all the cobweb you can find! Make sure it's not dusty and it doesn't still have the spider in it!"

Honeypaw looked up from cleaning her pelt. "But I just got all that blood off my fur-"

"It's for Falconpaw!" _That'll make her._

Honeypaw had a huge wad of cobweb back to Hollypaw in five heartbeats.

"Frostfur!" called Hollypaw. "I need you here."

Frostfur dashed over. "What is it?"

"Lightningclaw wants me to teach you basic medicine. If a cobweb binding gets soaked in blood, you need to take it off and apply more herbs and fresh cobweb."

Hollypaw kept healing and talking but her heart wasn't in it. The moment everything was done, she scooped up cobweb and marigold and flat-out sprinted to the Cold Cave. She wasn't cautious, but if any IceClan warrior heard her or smelled her, she'd blow past them or fight viciously.

Hollypaw slid into the Cold Cave. She'd only been there once before, briefly, during the battle the day before. Almost immediately, however, she smelled death. The bodies were gone but the smell still lingered. "Yellowtail?" Hollypaw called, afraid to see.

Yellowtail staggered out of the shadows, pelt matted and frame gaunt. At her side was Sandcub who looked as bad as her mother.

"Where… where's Sunrise and Goldencub?" Hollypaw asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.

"Dead," rasped Yellowtail. "They were killed by Snowstar when they went out to hunt. We're too weak to hunt now." Though Yellowtail didn't say it, Hollypaw could tell from her eyes that her spirit was nearly broken. The only thing keeping her alive was Sandcub.

Immediately Hollypaw caught a mouse and scooped up water from the river for them. Yellowtail blinked gratefully before she and Sandcub tore into the meat and slurped up water.

"That feels better," chirped Sandcub before she fell asleep promptly. Yellowtail smiled at her little cub. "Thank you, Hollypaw."

"It was nothing," Hollypaw mumbled as Yellowtail fell asleep as well. Hollypaw listened to the sounds above the Cave. It was quiet, which meant the battle hadn't started yet. She padded to the underground river and lapped up a few drops. She didn't know that the water flowed from the Starpool. The Sky River water put her to sleep almost instantly.

 **()()()()**

"Swiftbreeze!" screamed Hollypaw in MoonClan. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

A lion padded out of the trees, but it wasn't Swiftbreeze. "Who are you?" Hollypaw asked suspiciously. She'd never seen a MoonClan lion before, other than Swiftbreeze.

"I am Amberfur," the lion responded. "Swiftbreeze is helping Lightningclaw to wake up. She's putting her strength into Lightningclaw, as is Leopardclaw. Swiftbreeze won't be available until the end of the battle. However, Lightningclaw does know that you're here. Swiftbreeze is telling him that right now."

"I want to wake up! Why am I sleeping?"

"You drank from water that flows from the Starpool. Now, _wake up_."

Hollypaw sat up straight in the Cold Cave and got her herbs in order.

 **()()()()**

Snowstar and Darkfire sat on soft moss inside the leader's den. "Snowstar," said Darkfire, "why aren't you going out and fighting?"

Darkfire knew why _she_ wasn't fighting: Snowstar wanted her to back her up for what she insisted would be "the turning point of the battle".

"I shall wait for the end," hissed Snowstar, "the climax of the battle. Lightningclaw will battle me with his injuries… Then we'll see who's the better fighter, and I shall become the supreme leader of three Clans. It'll be a matter of time before SnowClan suffers the same fate. Then I'll rule all the Clans."

"And if you die?"

"No evil truly dies."

Darkfire inclined her head respectfully. She knew better than to argue with Snowstar, even if she sounded crazy.

 **()()()()**

Lightningclaw whirled and hissed, scratched and kicked, and soon both his guards were knocked out. He glared up at the leader's den where Snowstar was. "WaterClan is mine!" he howled. "Anyone who dares to challenge that will not like what happens!"

Instantly he was bowled to the ground by six IceClan warriors. But Leopardclaw and Swiftbreeze were giving him strength from MoonClan, so the warriors were easy work. "Is that the best you've got?" he taunted loudly. "This is easy!"

Lightningclaw launched himself into the swarm of IceClan wolves. He slammed his shoulder into Petalfang's muzzle, nearly knocking her over.

 _Behind you!_ Swiftbreeze whispered in Lightningclaw's head. Lightningclaw whirled around and saw three big warriors racing madly his way. He merely stepped aside, and the three warriors crashed into the surprised and shocked Petalfang. Lightningclaw squashed them and scratched them, making them flee into the undergrowth.

 _To your side!_ Leopardclaw growled. Lightningclaw whipped his head around, and immediately spotted Snakeheart charging toward him. He lunged for her throat and sank his teeth into her flesh, but didn't kill her. _Behind you!_ Without looking behind him, Lightningclaw kicked out with his hind legs. Letting go of Snakeheart, he whirled around and saw Birchheart sprawled on the ground behind him. Lightningclaw bit along Birchheart's flank.

Turning his head, he spotted Cliffpaw, Runningpaw, Bramblepaw, and Ivypaw coming at him from all sides. Lightningclaw sighed. He didn't like harming apprentices because they were so young, but they were a threat. Lowering his broad head, he grasped Bramblepaw by his scruff and swung the shocked apprentice in a circle. The remaining apprentices were flung away, and Cliffpaw crashed into Troutfur, knocking the small warrior down. Feeling pleased with himself, he flung Bramblepaw into Goldenflower.

Lightningclaw crouched down, ready to leap, but he felt little teeth holding him down. Glancing back, he saw Featherpaw, Sparrowpaw, Rabbitpaw, and Smokepaw grasping his legs. Lightningclaw merely shook them off. _Look above!_ Lightningclaw glanced up and immediately sprang away; Snowstar had shoved an enormous boulder over Highrock to squash Lightningclaw, but it fell on top of seven unfortunate warriors instead.

Lightningclaw leapt into the swarm of wolves. He whirled around, scratching, biting, and dodging blows. Suddenly, a huge weight collapsed on him! Lightningclaw struggled to breath, but he was trapped under all of IceClan. _You can do this,_ Swiftbreeze growled. Lightningclaw felt a surge of strength flow through his limbs, and with a sudden burst of energy, kicked up with his hind legs, sending IceClan warriors flying in all directions. He bounded up onto Highrock, and roared, "All who dare challenge me will be killed!" Lightningclaw glared down at IceClan with his flashing blue gaze. The wolves flinched and looked away. Then they fled into the forest, back to their territories.

 **()()()()**

Lightningclaw panted as he lowered himself into the Cold Cave. Immediately Hollypaw was there, fussing over him. "Were you injured badly? Where does it hurt most?"

Lightningclaw pointed with his tail to a deep bite on his leg. "There. Someone bit me and then clawed me and then drove me into a thornbush."

As Hollypaw fixed his wounds, she asked, "Did any IceClan warriors see you coming to the Cold Cave? Yellowtail and Sandcub are still sleeping here."

Lightningclaw tensed. "What happened to Goldencub and Sunrise…? Are they…."

"They're dead," Hollypaw said shortly. "IceClan killed them." She continued to put dressings on Lightningclaw. "How goes the battle?"

Lightningclaw sighed heavily. "Leopardclaw and Swiftbreeze are giving me strength from MoonClan to help defeat the warriors, and I drove the wolves back into their territory. But I have a feeling that they will return. In fact, I think they're still up there at the border, waiting for a chance to invade. And at the end I'll have to fight Snowstar and Darkfire."

"For that bit, I'm coming with you," Hollypaw said in a tone that invited no argument.

Lightningclaw was too tired to argue, but even if he wasn't so tired, he knew he would be grateful for the backup.

* * *

 **A/N: The next chapter will be the big fight! Hollypaw and Lightningclaw vs Snowstar and Darkfire!**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!  
**


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N: Finally, the big fight! Darkfire and Snowstar vs Lightningclaw and Hollypaw! We've already written the whole story out, so we know there's only four chapters left... plus the epilogue.**

 **Oh, I have a joke!**

 _ **Q: What's a wolf's favorite fruit?**_

 _ **A: A PACK of apples!**_

 **Yes, I know it's kinda lame :D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21 | Darkfire**

By the time Lightningclaw came back to the Cold Cave the next day, it was evening. Yellowtail and Sandcub were awake. Lightningclaw's dressings had come off on the more shallow scratches, and he'd gotten new scratches, but nothing too serious. It seemed that Swiftbreeze's strength-giving also included healing powers.

Hollypaw soon ran out of cobweb, so she searched the cave for more. "Yellowtail, do you see any cobweb?" Yellowtail shook her head. The cave was a smooth, rounded space, so there weren't really any good spots for a spider to live. Plus, the flood had probably discouraged spider life in the Cold Cave.

Hollypaw sighed and started plucking the most absorbent of the moss. She didn't want to, as that was the place to sleep and also cobweb was much stickier than moss, but she had to make do.

"So, Lightningclaw," Hollypaw said conversationally, "when are you planning to take on Snowstar?"

"Probably next morning," Lightningclaw said thoughtfully. "You and I can get some rest and if we're lucky, we can catch Snowstar while she's still sleeping. And if it's before dawn and if there's only a couple guards, we won't have to contend with the warriors either, if they've already come back to the camp."

"That's an awful lot of _if_ s," Yellowtail pointed out.

"And what if bad Clan attack while you sleep?" Sandcub asked, miming the motions of "bad Clan", attacking, and sleeping. She slipped off a slippery piece of rock into the river and started treading water.

"That's a good point, Sandcub," Lightningclaw admitted. "Yellowtail, do you think you could stand guard in the cave? Like right beside the tunnel so that IceClan can't see you but you can see them?"

"I guess I could," Yellowtail murmured. "But I'd like to dig out a trap for them…. Like dig a hole and put earth walls on top and if possible fill it with water."

"That would actually work," Lightningclaw said. "If we dig deep enough we'll hit rock and from there we can dig a channel to the Sky River. If we're lucky the River will put them to sleep." His stomach rumbled loudly.

"I catch prey!" announced Sandcub. She hopped out of the water and caught four mice and a vole almost instantly.

"I've been teaching her to hunt," Yellowtail explained. "I think she's inherited my skill."

Hollypaw, Yellowtail, and Lightningclaw spent the rest of the evening digging out the trap while Sandcub dug the tunnel to the river. When night fell, the trap was finished and Sandcub let the water run through. Lightningclaw blocked the entrance with earth and leaves, which threw the cave into near-pitch darkness, but everyone was used to night hunting so it didn't bother them.

The wolves drank from the Sky River, hoping for a dream from MoonClan. Hollypaw and Lightningclaw curled up on the moss while Yellowtail stood guard and Sandcub caught more prey for the wolves in the morning.

 **()()()()**

"Swiftbreeze! Leopardclaw!" called Hollypaw. Lightningclaw was curled up next to her, sleeping in MoonClan. She prodded him. "Wake up, you dormouse!"

He sprang to his feet as the two MoonClan warriors padded into sight. "Leopardclaw! Swiftbreeze!" he cried. "It's so good to see you!" Then two more warriors came: Quailfur and Stormstar.

"I'm sorry that we haven't gotten a chance to visit you before," Quailfur said. "But we couldn't be more proud. This is your destiny, Lightningclaw, so embrace it."

"Good luck on your upcoming fight," Stormstar said. "You've got the chance to erase an evil from the territories, Lightningclaw."

Another wolf, one that neither Hollypaw nor Lightningclaw recognized padded into the clearing: an elegant silver-and-black she-wolf. She had the distinct lithe, sharp body shape of IceClan but specifically FrostClan.

"Who are you?" Hollypaw asked distrustfully.

"I am Silverflame," said the mystery wolf, "mother of Darkfire."

Lightningclaw had to hold Hollypaw back to prevent her from attacking Silverflame. "We're all allies here," he reminded.

 _"Darkfire killed my mentor!"_ screamed Hollypaw, kicking and thrashing.

Silverflame winced. "I know," she sighed, "and I wish she hadn't. If it makes you feel better, I was Swiftbreeze's guardian while she was alive."

Hollypaw stopped thrashing and Lightningclaw tentatively let her go. "You were?" Hollypaw asked.

"Yes," Quailfur agreed.

"Oh… well, alright then." But Hollypaw still seemed suspicious.

Suddenly Swiftbreeze and Leopardclaw faded away. "Where'd they go?" Lightningclaw asked.

"They're getting ready for your battle," Stormstar explained. "You'll be waking up soon so they have to do a special process to share their strength. Swiftbreeze in particular is putting so much of her soul into this."

"We have messages from Leopardclaw and Swiftbreeze for you, however," Quailfur said. Stormstar steered Lightningclaw out of the clearing while Quailfur took Hollypaw. Silverflame disappeared to another part of MoonClan as well.

"A message from Swiftbreeze?" Hollypaw asked.

"Yes," Quailfur said, "your mentor told me it's very important. You'll be fighting Darkfire while Lightningclaw fights Snowstar. Here is the thing: when Lightningclaw gets his leader's name, both of you will go to the Dark Forest to fight the Frost Forest. Defend Swiftbreeze. She will be there and if you don't defend her, she will be lost. Her soul will be lost _forever_. You'll never see her in MoonClan ever again."

 **()()()()**

When Hollypaw woke up, Lightningclaw looked just as disturbed by his message as she'd been disturbed by hers.

It was right in the middle between moonhigh and dawn. The two wolves ate some of the prey that Sandcub had caught somewhat tersely and nervously, knowing that one misstep could send a rock tumbling, and finish their chances of this being a sneak attack.

"Once we've overpowered Snowstar, then what do we do?" Hollypaw asked quietly.

"Overpower Darkfire too."

"I mean, assuming that we've got both of them pinned."

"Either threaten to kill Snowstar if they don't get out of our territory, or kill her and then drive the rest out of our territory."

"Do the options have to include killing Snowstar?"

"She's too dangerous to be kept alive. I know you don't like the idea of killing, since you're a medicine wolf-"

"I'm an apprentice," Hollypaw corrected firmly, "and I will stay an apprentice until Swiftbreeze gives me my name."

"I know," Lightningclaw muttered. "I-"

"You just chose to ignore it, I know."

Lightningclaw sighed. "So which option will we choose?"

"I guess the second one. The first one is like something Snowstar would do."

"That's true."

"But what about Darkfire? She killed Swiftbreeze."

"On orders of Snowstar," Lightningclaw countered. "We leave her alive but injured. I refuse to kill twice in a day. Besides, she's deputy of FrostClan. Snowstar replaced Bluefur with Darkfire. Without Darkfire, FrostClan won't have a leader, and it _might_ be a bad thing to have a leaderless Clan of bloodthirsty warriors on our border who still want revenge on us." Lightningclaw's voice positively dripped sarcasm.

"All right," Hollypaw said, her throat suddenly feeling dry, "ready to do a secret mission?"

"Secret mission? I _love_ secret missions!" Lightningclaw squealed, miming the voice that Falconpaw had had when he was a cub.

Hollypaw muttered, "Males," and rolled her eyes to Yellowtail on guard on her way out of the Cold Cave.

As soon as they were out, Lightningclaw stopped short. "Wait. In our dream, didn't Silverflame say that Swiftbreeze and Leopardclaw were getting ready to share their strength with us?"

"Yeah."

"So why don't we have our extra strength? I don't feel it."

Hollypaw racked her brains for an answer. "My message involved the Dark Forest. So maybe they're being delayed by the Dark Forest?"

"Yeah," Lightningclaw growled, "it would be just like the Frost Forest to give advantages to their descendants. But there's no time to wait. It'll be dawn soon if we don't hurry."

Hollypaw's black pelt blended in with the path above the leader's den so she went on to scout ahead to see if Snowstar and Darkfire were sleeping.

Hollypaw peeked in the den and suddenly panicked. Lightningclaw struggled to look at her tail and see the signal she was giving… _Awake!_ Lightningclaw raced up the path, not caring how many warriors he woke. If he wasn't there that very instant, Hollypaw would be dead.

Things were going terribly wrong.

 **()()()()**

Back at the temporary Twolegplace camp, Frostfur worried about Hollypaw and Lightningclaw. They should've been back the day before, to at least give news on what was happening. She consoled herself with thoughts about how Lightningclaw wasn't that stupid, and how he knew that in the circumstances he wouldn't have been able to come back.

But what if he didn't come back because he _couldn't_? IceClan was powerful and Frostfur didn't really see how one wolf could drive them all out without serious injury. And Snowstar had already shown that she'd kill anyone in her way.

What she really wanted, however, was for Hollypaw to come back. Frostfur knew that she needed to heal Lightningclaw during the battle, that two sets of eyes were better than one, that her black pelt was perfect for spying, but still. Even with Hollypaw's rushed medicine training, about cobweb and marigold and catmint and if-they're-cold-then-warm-them-up-and-wait-for-me, Frostfur still thought that Hollypaw did it much better.

And with Falconpaw's injury, despite Hollypaw's care and effort and time, the poultice was coming off, and Frostfur didn't know how to take it off without hurting him. And the wound started to smell of infection but Frostfur couldn't put marigold on it without taking off the cobweb, stuck to the slowly forming scab with sticky blood.

 _Come back, Hollypaw and Lightningclaw,_ she whispered to the moon, hoping that it would take her message. _We need you. The camp is falling apart._

 **()()()()**

Lightningclaw hurtled through the entrance of the leader's den when he heard a message in his mind, in Frostfur's voice. _Come back, Hollypaw and Lightningclaw. We need you. The camp is falling apart._ Lightningclaw shook it off. He couldn't get distracted.

Hollypaw was trapped by Darkfire while Snowstar was prowling (there wasn't any other word) around the den. "So you thought you could catch me asleep," she hissed. "Little do you know that I'm always one step ahead."

"Fat lot of good that's going to do you now," Hollypaw snapped from underneath Darkfire.

"Please, shut her up," Snowstar grumbled to Darkfire.

 _"DON'T YOU DARE!"_ screamed Hollypaw and Lightningclaw together. Hollypaw bucked Darkfire off of her with strength that suddenly came. Hollypaw crouched next to Lightningclaw in a defensive position, then suddenly whirled and kicked an IceClan warrior down the waterfall.

Snowstar strode out of the den, and onto the rock just past the waterfall. "Attention IceClan," she announced. "Go back to sleep. Do NOT come up to the leader's den. If you do I will injure you extremely badly." For a second Hollypaw wondered why Snowstar was telling the warriors not to come for backup; then she realized that Snowstar wanted the glory all to herself. She could always call the warriors back in if things went south anyways.

"I just want to push her off that rock," muttered Hollypaw.

"Same here, except for Darkfire," agreed Lightningclaw.

"Yeah, if I were you I wouldn't do that," Darkfire hissed. Her amber eyes gleamed with excitement for the final battle.

Without MoonClan's extra strength, Lightningclaw didn't know if he could be able to take down Snowstar and then drive out all the other warriors. But he had to try. Maybe once Snowstar was dead the other warriors would just go.

Snowstar crouched down in an offensive position. Hollypaw felt the stirrings of dread. Snowstar was the second-best warrior in all the Clans, other than Lightningclaw, but she played dirty. Snowstar could also defeat Leopardclaw and she'd trained in the Frost Forest.

How was Lightningclaw going to (ugh) kill her?

At the moment, it didn't matter, because there was a large black murderer leaping for her.

Hollypaw rolled out from Darkfire's target zone and jumped over her when Darkfire lunged for that spot.

"You think a medicine wolf apprentice can take me?" Darkfire taunted. "You have no battle training!"

Hollypaw ripped clawfuls of fur from Darkfire's back. "I'm a natural. That means I'm better than you, because I can heal myself if I get injured."

Darkfire half-winced at her fur coming out, and rolled over Hollypaw, squishing her. "You're nothing without your herbs!"

Hollypaw reared up, slamming Darkfire back, and sliced at her belly. "I have natural control where to go to be least injured!"

Darkfire snapped, "At least I'm not half-Clan." She slid out from underneath Hollypaw's stomach-slicing and flipped Hollypaw onto her belly, trapping her there.

"I'm full WaterClan! I hate ThornClan!" Hollypaw snapped, enraged. She wriggled herself onto her back and sliced Darkfire's stomach with claws trapped underneath her. "Besides, you could be half-Clan and not know it."

Darkfire's lip tightened and she didn't say anything. Hollypaw suspected that she was thinking about how she could be half-Clan. Then the adult wolf snapped, "Whatever. I'll still win this fight, _apprentice_."

"That's what you think, _half-Clan_ ," Hollypaw shot back, and the two black wolves kept grappling.

 **()()()()**

"You think you can take me?" hissed Snowstar. "I'm the best warrior in all the Clans. I've taken over three-quarters of the forest. You're no match for me."

"I'm more honorable," Lightningclaw replied.

Snowstar leapt for Lightningclaw. "Honor. Like that's going to help you in this battle. What helps now is cold ruthlessness." She tore at his ears.

Lightningclaw rolled out from under her and flipped her backwards, then pinned her. "No. What helps now is battle training."

"I've defeated Leopardclaw himself!" Snowstar gasped in barely-hidden pain, and then reared, knocking Lightningclaw off of her.

"So have I," Lightningclaw pointed out, "and I did it when I was an apprentice." He landed on his feet and reared up to match Snowstar, and the two traded blows.

Then suddenly, Darkfire lurched up to Snowstar, bleeding from so many cuts it was a wonder she could walk. "Can't-" she gurgled, then fell down. Hollypaw stood over her felled opponent triumphantly, challenging Snowstar with her eyes.

"You killed her! She's dead!" screamed Snowstar as she looked at her fallen deputy.

"Unconscious," Hollypaw and Lightningclaw corrected together. Hollypaw added, "If you had any brain cells you'd know the difference. See, she's breathing."

"Well it doesn't matter. If she can't fight, she's useless!" screamed Snowstar. She breathed heavily, as if just noticing she was outmatched. "I don't suppose you'd consider a… compromise?"

"Nope!" Lightningclaw said cheerfully, and tackled her.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, I have another joke!**

 _ **Q: Why did the wolf cross the road?**_

 _ **A: He was chasing the chicken!**_

 **Not quite so lame! Thanks for reading and please review!**


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: Only... _counts on fingers_ three chapters left!**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews! We really appreciate them!**

 **Sorry that this chapter is so short.**

* * *

 **Chapter 22 | Snowstar**

"Seriously," Snowstar said, bleeding heavily and fending off attacks from both sides, "a compromise would be a great idea."

"I don't really think so," Hollypaw responded, battering Snowstar's legs to unbalance her. "I mean, we're trying to drive you out."

"Yeah," agreed Lightningclaw. He headlocked Snowstar and Hollypaw knocked her down. "I mean, you've been our enemy for a while now."

"Ah. Well, um, would an apology suffice?"

"Nope!"

Soon Snowstar was pinned. Lightningclaw aimed his claws at her throat, then snapped, "Come on. To the Great Rock." Hollypaw shepherded Snowstar like caows (or whatever those black-and-white things were called) and Lightningclaw aimed his claws at her throat.

"Now say exactly what I say, or you're dead," hissed Lightningclaw. Snowstar swallowed hard but nodded.

"Wolves of IceClan," whispered Lightningclaw.

"Wolves of IceClan," called Snowstar. She listened to Lightningclaw and then continued. "We are retreating back to our territory. I am under WaterClan's cont-" She broke off. "I refuse to say that!" she snapped to Lightningclaw. "I'm not a traitor to IceClan."

A moment later, she fell to the ground. Eyes glassy, claws softened, Snowstar lay there, her last sneer slowly fading from her face. "She's dead," whispered Hollypaw, but somehow everyone heard her.

"Dead?" cried Emberfoot.

"I don't believe it!" yelled Swallowtail. "Snowstar couldn't die, she's... _immortal_."

"Show me the body," Claystar snapped. "I want to see for myself."

Lightningclaw kicked the limp body to the clearing with distaste. Hollypaw looked up at him. "Are we done here?" she whispered. "I want to see Windrunner."

"Almost," her leader whispered back. "First we must see this camp cleansed of IceClan."

"She's dead," Hollypaw murmured, almost to herself. "We killed her, and without MoonClan's help either."

"Snowstar is dead!" screamed Swallowtail. "Oh, Dark Forest… There's no point being here without Snowstar." She pushed through the exit.

One by one, the other wolves realized that their unshakable leader was dead, and they too fled the camp until finally, at last, they were all gone.

But one thing was wrong. "Where's the body?" Hollypaw asked in bewilderment.

"Taken," Lightningclaw said grimly. "She went straight to the Frost Forest. That's bad. It means that if she decided to visit the living, like MoonClan, she'd be able to touch us. Usually Dark Forest or Frost Forest wolves can't touch living beings."

"And Darkfire?" Hollypaw asked. "Is she still there?"

The two wolves raced up to the leader's den to see. There was the imprint of Darkfire in the sand, but she herself wasn't there. She'd limped away as evidenced by the trail of blood. "She escaped," Lightningclaw said. "We'll have to deal with her another day."

"Yes," hissed Hollypaw. "She killed Swiftbreeze and I will never forgive her for that. _Never_."

The two wolves spent the rest of the day until sunhigh clearing out the IceClan-scented moss, replacing the herbs that Gorsepelt, the medicine wolf, had taken for himself, and drenching the IceClan scent marks with WaterClan.

At sunhigh, they returned to Twolegplace with Yellowtail and Sandcub. Hollypaw was immediately tackled by Honeypaw. _"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"_ she screamed. Then Dustpaw was on her, and so was Windrunner.

Lightningclaw was getting the same welcome by all his cubs and had disappeared beneath a multi-colored mass of fur. Then Hollypaw tensed. "How's Falconpaw?" she asked anxiously.

Frostfur pointed towards him. The cobweb couldn't be taken off because it was part of the scab, and he smelled like infection. Most of Falconpaw's cuts had healed, but the belly slice was infected. Hollypaw cut the cobweb open through the middle, careful not to hurt Falconpaw, and worked quickly with the marigold. She carefully cut out the rest of the cobweb and applied moss instead of more cobweb so it wouldn't stick to the wound again.

"Is he all right?" whimpered Honeypaw.

Hollypaw kept working for a few more heartbeats before she looked up. "He'll be fine, but he'll need to rest for at least another quarter-moon."

"YES!" screamed Honeypaw. She tackled Hollypaw and drenched her with grateful licks. "Thank you thank you thank you! I don't know what I'd do without you!"

Hollypaw smiled and said, "No problem. I do this every quarter-moon."

"Hey, speaking of moons," Honeypaw said, "isn't there a Howl Time tonight? Remember how bright the moon was during the invasion?"

"Oh yeah!" Hollypaw said. "I-"

She didn't get a chance to finish because Lightningclaw jumped up onto a boulder and called, "WaterClan, Clan meeting!"

The wolves and lions gathered beneath the boulder and looked up at Lightningclaw expectantly. Lightningclaw announced, "Hollypaw and I have cleared our camp of IceClan warriors, and killed Snowstar! Today, we move back into camp!"

The warriors cheered rousingly.

"And tonight, we shall go to the Howl Time, and show the other Clans that we are strong!"

The Clan whooped and cheered loudly.

"We'll show Darkfire that we're not a Clan to mess with!" Lightningclaw jumped down from the boulder and called, "Follow me to camp!" The warriors and apprentices charged after him, except for Hollypaw, Honeypaw, and Falconpaw, who was still unconscious.

"What do we do now?" Honeypaw dithered uncertainly.

"We carry him. You take his head and I'll take his back legs."

They arrived at camp not long after everyone else did.

 **()()()()**

As the day turned to night, warriors went out hunting and patrolling, Hollypaw replaced her damaged herbs, the lions cleaned out the Cold Cave and the leader's den, the apprentices got rid of all IceClan remains, and Lightningclaw couldn't be more proud of his Clan.

"I can't believe it," he murmured to Yellowtail. "Just the three of us then, and look what it is now." His words held a bittersweet edge. Swiftbreeze had sacrificed herself to make the Clan what it was.

Yellowtail smiled back sadly. "Yes. It seems as if the forest is enchanted to keep away lions. These are wolves' territories, and soon Sandcub and I will die, and the forest will belong to the wolves again."

Lightningclaw wanted to deny this, but he knew it was true. Yellowtail had barely survived redcough. She was getting old, anyways. She'd lived through three generations and might not make it through a fourth.

"You're lucky to be leader of such a loyal Clan, Lightningclaw," Yellowtail said. "You have a great destiny."

"Yes," said Lightningclaw after a while, looking back on the sunset. He thought about his cubs, his mate, his Clan, his destiny. "Yes. I'm a very lucky wolf."

 **()()()()**

That night at the Howl Time, WaterClan, except for Yellowtail, Sandcub, and Falconpaw, surged down the slope to the Howl Time place. Every wolf was groomed meticulously. That night, Snowstar wasn't there, but Lightningclaw had a feeling she was watching from the Frost Forest, waiting to get revenge.

Lightningclaw jumped smoothly onto the Great Rock and helped Cloudstar up. SnowClan weren't his enemies, so they could be allies. One never knew when IceClan would get back to full strength.

But to his surprise, when IceClan showed up, Darkfire jumped onto the Great Rock with all the arrogance that Snowstar had had. "Hello, Darkfire," snapped Cloudstar with more than a little animosity. "What are you doing here?" It was an obvious effort for Cloudstar to speak politely, or semi-politely.

"I'm leader of IceClan, obviously," Darkfire snapped. "I was deputy when Snowstar died."

"Yes, you were," Lightningclaw said, dipping his head to her as courteously as he could. "Did you get your leader's name?"

"Yes," Darkfire said, tossing her head arrogantly. "Which is more than you can say. Wolves of the Clans, meet Darkstar!"

IceClan cheered and the other two Clans went silent, but there were so many more wolves in IceClan so it looked like everyone was cheering.

"What sort of news do you have?" Lightningclaw asked Cloudstar, conspicuously skipping Darkstar.

"Prey has been running well," Cloudstar reported, "and we have two new warriors: Willowheart and Pebblestorm."

"Willowheart! Pebblestorm!" WaterClan and SnowClan chanted, loudly overpowering IceClan's boos.

Cloudstar nodded to Lightningclaw, who announced, "WaterClan is thriving. Our apprentices are nearly ready for their warrior names. We are coping well after being brutally attacked and driven by our camp from IceClan." SnowClan gasped in shock at the atrocities of IceClan, now only just revealed.

Lightningclaw continued, "We have driven IceClan out after they took over our camp. We mourn the loss of our medicine lion, Swiftbreeze, as she was murdered by Darkstar.

"One of our apprentices, Falconpaw, was injured terribly by IceClan and consequently couldn't attend this Howl Time. A warrior, Sunrise, and his cub, Goldencub, were both murdered by Snowstar." Lightningclaw kept going on like this and one by one, each of IceClan's atrocities were revealed.

"But WaterClan is strong. Despite these crimes, despite all we've been through, WaterClan shall live on!"

Darkstar shouldered to the front of the Great Rock and snapped, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Always blaming IceClan."

"It is true?" called Stonestream. "Did your Clan do all this?"

"Yes," admitted Darkstar. "But-"

"Did you murder Swiftbreeze?" called Dapplepelt, who was medicine wolf of SnowClan and a friend of Swiftbreeze's.

"Yes, but only because Snowstar-"

"Did you invade our camp?" cried Frostfur.

"Um… yes?"

"Then you're not fit to be a leader!" Frostfur screamed.

 _"I AM LEADER OF ICECLAN! MOONCLAN THEMSELVES CHOSE ME!"_ bellowed Darkstar. The Howl Time place became quiet. More calmly, Darkstar said, "Yes, I admit that I did everything you are accusing me of. However, that was under the rule of Snowstar."

"Who's to say that you're not going to do the same things as Snowstar?" Frostfur challenged.

"No one," Darkstar responded, "but won't you give me a chance?"

"Like I'd give a murderer a chance!" screamed Hollypaw. "You killed my mentor!"

"I-"

Two silver warriors shimmered into the air. Hollypaw heard Swiftbreeze telling her, _It is time. It must be revealed._

 _What? What's revealed?_ Hollypaw received no answer other than a breathy _Wait and see_.

"Grayheart!" Frostfur gasped, looking at the gray MoonClan warrior that had appeared before her. Grayheart was Frostfur's father in ThornClan, now dead. Frostfur had never known her mother.

"Silverflame?" Darkstar gasped, looking at her parent. For a second her voice and Frostfur's sounded one and the same. "Silverflame? What are you doing here?" Silverflame smiled at Darkstar, who'd never known her father. Then without a word, Silverflame and Grayheart padded to the center of the clearing together and twined their tails lovingly.

And it was all clear to Hollypaw. How Frostfur had never known her mother. How Frostfur's and Darkstar's voices sounded similar. How Darkstar had never known her father. She knew the real reason that Snowstar had formed an alliance with Claystar.

"Frostfur and Darkstar are littermates!" she gasped out loud. "They're _half-Clan_!"

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, Darkstar is _half-Clan_! I wonder what will happen next :D**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: Oh my goodness. I can't believe the story's almost done!**

 **Just a couple more chapters, and then... SEQUEL TIME!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 23 | Secret's Out**

 _This explains everything_ , Hollypaw thought. _Snowstar didn't found IceClan just because she was power-hungry; she knew Darkstar's heritage would come out sometime and she didn't want her second-in-command driven out!_

 _Grayheart and Silverflame are mates and Frostfur and Darkstar are littermates… Grayheart and Silverflame are so much like each other, but their cubs are opposites right down to the color of their fur!_

Then Claystar yowled, "I don't want to be led by a half-Clan wolf! I hereby declare IceClan to be broken into ThornClan and FrostClan once more!"

The ThornClan wolves followed him into the forest, back to their territory, while the FrostClan wolves stayed by Darkstar, who jumped down from the Great Rock. "Come on. We're going home," snarled Darkstar. The FrostClan wolves followed her, but looked a bit unwilling.

SnowClan went back to their territory as well, following Cloudstar, until WaterClan was the only Clan left.

Then Riverclaw turned on Frostfur. "You traitor!" he hissed. "You were IceClan the whole time!" He leaped for her, claws sharp. Then he was slammed by the neck to the Great Rock, his hind legs dangling a tail-length above the ground.

"Blood isn't loyalty," Lightningclaw growled. "Her heritage has nothing to do with her loyalty. Frostfur isn't a traitor; she didn't even know her own bloodline."

"We don't know that," Riverclaw snarled, "she might be spying for ThornClan this very instant!" He threw himself at Lightningclaw, but couldn't budge the iron paw holding his neck. "Let me go!"

"No." Lightningclaw raised Riverclaw up and off of the Great Rock. "Arguing with me is a bad idea. Unless you promise not to harm my mate, you'll become a rogue." His claws pinched Riverclaw's neck, nearly drawing blood.

"Fine," Riverclaw muttered after waiting a few heartbeats. "I promise not to harm Frostfur. I swear on MoonClan. I'm sorry."

Lightningclaw dropped him and turned to face Frostfur. "You're not getting hurt," he promised. "I'll protect you." He turned to glare at Riverclaw wordlessly, and then led his Clan home, brushing protectively against his mate.

 **()()()()**

Back in the WaterClan camp, Hollypaw curled up in her nest, missing the warmth of her mentor next to her. After tossing and turning, she finally fell into a deep sleep.

When Hollypaw opened her eyes, she found herself in MoonClan, curled up in a soft bed of moss. She sprang up, and saw Swiftbreeze standing in front of her. Hollypaw exclaimed, "Swiftbreeze!", and buried her head in Swiftbreeze's sweet smelling fur. Swiftbreeze licked her apprentice comfortingly.

She murmured, "Hollypaw, I have a message for you: It is time for Lightningclaw to receive his leader's name. You are to go with him."

Hollypaw looked up and whispered mournfully, "Okay, Swiftbreeze. I just really wish that you could still be here." Hollypaw didn't notice her mentor's eyes sparkling with excitement.

Swiftbreeze responded, "Hollypaw, I will be with you, always, watching over you." She nuzzled her apprentice and faded back into mist.

Hollypaw woke with a start. She raced to the warriors' den and picked her way between the sleeping warriors until she reached Lightningclaw. "Wake up," she whispered. Lightningclaw stirred. When he saw Hollypaw, he got up and followed her out of the den.

"What is it?" he inquired.

Hollypaw looked up at him and replied, "Swiftbreeze visited me in a dream and said that you are going to get your leader name. We must leave as soon as possible!" Lightningclaw's eyes widened, and he bounded up onto Highrock and howled, "Warriors of WaterClan, wake up!" Warriors and apprentices came streaming out of their dens and looked up expectantly at their leader. Lightningclaw informed them, "Hollypaw and I are going to the Starpool, the real Starpool, so I can get my leader name." Calls of congratulations echoed around the clearing. Lightningclaw added, "Redheart, you will be in charge until I return." Redheart dipped his head. With that, Lightningclaw and Hollypaw filed out of the camp and began the long trek to the Starpool.

 **()()()()**

The two wolves arrived at the Starpool by moonhigh. Exhausted, they both touched their noses to the cold, clear water, and entered MoonClan.

Lightningclaw found himself in a clearing within a thickly forested area. He looked around expectantly, but there were no MoonClan warriors to give him his lives. Hollypaw, who was standing next to him, seemed confused also.

Just as Lightningclaw was on the verge of panicking, thousands of MoonClan warriors shimmered into existence around the clearing, and he was bathed in a golden light.

Lightningclaw was so busy looking around that he didn't notice Leopardclaw standing in front of him. "Lightningclaw," Leopardclaw rumbled.

Lightningclaw looked up at his former mentor, and gasped, "Leopardclaw!''

Leopardclaw dipped his head and said, "I give you a life for courage, so that you may lead your Clan wisely and without fear." He rested his muzzle on Lightningclaw's head, and a bolt like lightning swept through Lightningclaw's body. Lightningclaw gritted his teeth together in pain.

As soon as the pain had come, it left. Lightningclaw opened his eyes and saw that his father, Stormstar, was standing in front of him. Lightningclaw pressed his nose against his father's fur and whispered, "I miss you so much."

Stormstar nodded and replied, "It was not my destiny to stay with you." Then he straightened up and exclaimed, "But don't dwell on the past! I have a life to give you. I give you a life for wisdom and strength to carry the burden of leadership. It will weigh heavy, but every problem is just a challenge to overcome." Stormstar rested his muzzle on Lightningclaw's nose, and an invisible pressure weighed down on his shoulders. However, Lightningclaw squared his shoulders and he thought, _I am strong enough to carry this burden._

Stormstar stepped back, and was replaced by Quailfur. She rested her head against Lightningclaw's shoulder and murmured, "Oh, my son. You cannot imagine how proud I am of you for coming this far. I give you a life for loving and protecting your Clanmates, as though they are your own cubs." She reached up to press her nose to Lightningclaw's forehead. Lightningclaw braced himself, but instead of being painful, the life filled him like a warmth, but also shot through him like cold water. He felt that he would give up all his lives to protect his Clanmates.

Quailfur was replaced by Amberfur. Lightningclaw exclaimed, "Amberfur! Thank you so much for giving me the remedy to cure Yellowtail!"

Amberfur smiled, and responded, "I'm glad to be able to help. I give you a life for compassion, not only to your Clanmates but to any wolf- or lion- that needs your help." She brushed her muzzle against his, and a heat like fire shot through him, filling him with compassion and grace to any wolf that might need his help.

A big, broad-shouldered wolf stepped forward and said, "My name is Thornfang. I give you a life for bravery and energy, to help you carry the burdens, sadness, and joy of leadership." Thornfang rested his big muzzle on Lightningclaw's head, and a wave of energy swept through Lightningclaw, making him feel as though he had as much energy to leap over mountains and run forever.

Lightningclaw looked around, but didn't see anyone. A squeak sounded from below him. Lightningclaw looked down and saw Goldencub looking up at him with bright eyes. He squeaked, "Lightningclaw! I give you a life for respect, respect for your elders, warriors, and cubs. They have valuable information, and will help you lead your Clan." Lightningclaw lowered his head, and Goldencub reached up and touched noses with his former leader.

When Lightningclaw looked up, Sunrise was standing in front of him. "Sunrise!" Lightningclaw gasped in surprise.

Sunrise dipped his head. "I give you a life for understanding, so that you may understand and connect with not only your Clanmates, but with other wolves or lions." Sunrise rested his muzzle on Lightningclaw's head.

Sunrise stepped back, and at first Lightningclaw didn't see anyone to give him his eighth life. Then a small growl sounded below him, and he looked down in shock. "Leafcub!" he yelped. Leafcub had been his litter-sister, killed in the FrostClan invasion that had taken the rest of WaterClan, and Lightningclaw had missed her. Leafcub gazed up at her brother and said, "Lightningclaw, I give you a life for loyalty to your Clan. Sometimes you may feel like abandoning them, or you feel too frustrated to deal with them. Be loyal to them, Lightningclaw." She brushed her small nose on her brother's now big nose. Lightningclaw breathed in her milky scent, and he knew he would never forget Leafcub.

Sparrowstar padded forward. "I am very proud of you, Lightningclaw." Lightningclaw dipped his head respectfully to his former mentor. Sparrowstar continued, "I give a life for self-confidence. Some of your Clanmates may challenge your word, but the word of a Clan leader is law." She pressed her nose against his, and to Lightningclaw, it seemed like a wave of power swept over him.

Sparrowstar stepped back, threw back her head, and began to howl, "Lightningstar! Lightningstar!"

All of MoonClan joined in. "Lightningstar!"

"Lightningstar!"

"Lightningstar!"

Lightningstar padded over to Hollypaw, where she was looking among MoonClan anxiously. The new leader looked around too.

"Where is she?" whimpered Hollypaw. "Where is Swiftbreeze?"

Lightningstar wondered the same thing. He had secretly been hoping that Swiftbreeze would give him a life.

A beautiful silver wolf walked gracefully over to Lightningstar and Hollypaw. "Silverflame!" Hollypaw gasped.

Silverflame dipped her head at Hollypaw, and addressed them, "Swiftbreeze is being held captive by the Frost Forest." Lightningstar and Hollypaw bristled, and curled their claws into the earth.

Silverflame went on, "Lightningstar, you and Hollypaw must rescue her from the Frost Forest. If you succeed, Swiftbreeze will be granted the right to return to WaterClan. But if not, her soul will be lost. Forever."

Lightningstar glanced at Hollypaw. She nodded. Lightningstar growled, "Take us to her." Silverflame dipped her head respectfully and beckoned for them to follow her with a flick of her tail.

Finally, they reached the border of the Frost Forest. It was dark in there, and stunk strongly of FrostClan. "Good luck," Silverflame murmured, then streaked back into MoonClan.

Lightningstar and Hollypaw took a deep breath and started trotting cautiously into the Frost Forest. Evil eyes glared at them from bushes, and the two bushed out their fur and stayed on their guard.

Finally, Hollypaw picked up a scent of Swiftbreeze. "This way," she hissed, trotting off in another direction. Lightningstar took up the rear, looking around cautiously.

Hollypaw finally spotted Swiftbreeze in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by dead FrostClan wolves' spirits. She let out a low growl. Swiftbreeze was in terrible condition: her fur was matted and filthy, her eyes were dull and glazed over, her belly was shrunken, and her breathing was shallow.

Hollypaw leaped at her mentor's guards, roaring, "Don't you dare touch her!" Lightningstar streaked towards Swiftbreeze and a snarl erupted in his throat. He lunged at the nearest wolf (who turned out to be Snowstar) and sank his teeth into her throat, trying not to gag on the warm, gooey blood. Then, he whirled around and leaped onto the back of another wolf, and began tearing out clawfuls of stinky fur. However, another Frost Forest warrior leaped at Lightningstar and sank her teeth into his neck, dragging him to the ground. The she-wolf clawed at Lightningstar's tender belly unmercifully. Lightningstar mustered up all his strength and reared up, sending the warrior howling into the dark woods.

Hollypaw ran towards her mentor and circled her, protecting her. Her dark fur was fluffed up and bristling, and her eyes flamed with rage. Hollypaw lunged at a big warrior, tearing at his throat. Then, she leaped towards another warrior, and slithered under her belly, tearing and slashing at the dark warrior's belly. Suddenly, she was lifted off her feet by teeth that she couldn't see. Twisting her head around, she saw a huge warrior holding her by her scruff. Hollypaw wiggled around, twisted, and turned, but she couldn't escape the powerful jaws that held her. Three more warriors came and chewed, bit, and clawed Hollypaw, causing her to howl in pain. She looked over at Swiftbreeze, and at the sight of her chewed up, battered, thin, filthy mentor, she felt strength flow through her. Hollypaw kicked with her hind legs at the warrior holding her; the warrior was surprised, and dropped Hollypaw. She bounded over to Swiftbreeze and stood over her- fur bushed out, pelt bristling, and jaws foaming with blood. Hollypaw roared, "If you want her, you will have to get through me first!" Her eyes blazed with frightening fury. Lightningstar raced over to stand by the apprentice, and he glared at the circle of wolves, baring his teeth.

Both wolves were a very scary sight to behold. Hollypaw was bristling, and her mouth foamed. Lightningstar had his fur fluffed out, so his big, broad, strong shape appeared to be even, bigger, broader, and stronger. The remaining Frost Forest warriors backed away into the dark forest.

Hollypaw breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at Lightningstar, who murmured, "Let's take her back to MoonClan. Maybe they will be able to heal her." Without waiting for a reply, he crouched down, and Hollypaw shoved her mentor onto Lightningstar's back.

Swiftbreeze breathed softly, "Thank you." Then her eyes closed, and she fell back into unconsciousness. Lightningstar padded back to MoonClan with Hollypaw taking up the rear, scanning the woods for any wolf that dared to face them. None came, though she noticed a tufty, bloody pelt slinking away through the trees. When they passed a snow-white wolf, Hollypaw paused. It was Snowstar. As the two wolves watched, Snowstar's evil soul faded away, only a faded bloody stain on the rotted leaves remaining.

The evilest wolf to ever live was finally vanquished.

 **()()()()**

When the wolves and Swiftbreeze made it back to MoonClan, Silverflame and Oakfur bounded up to them. When they saw Swiftbreeze, their brows wrinkled with worry. Oakfur ordered, "Follow me. I will heal her." He trotted off into the beautiful woods, with the others following at his heels.

Finally, they came to a sun-bathed clearing with a nest of the softest moss in the middle of it. Lightningstar gently laid Swiftbreeze into the nest. Oakfur turned to Lightningstar and Hollypaw. "You can go back to the Clan now. I will take care of Swiftbreeze."

Hollypaw replied, "You said that if we succeeded in rescuing her, she would return to WaterClan. So…"

Oakfur answered, "Swiftbreeze will return when she is ready. Now go." With that, he faded away, and Lightningstar and Hollypaw woke at the Starpool, disappointed and yet satisfied.

* * *

 **A/N: So Lightningstar's finally got his nine lives and stuff!**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: I really don't know what to say... this is almost the end...**

 **We don't own Warriors or anything related to it except for our OCs.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews so far! Again, we really like feedback!**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 24 | Cleaning Up**

The moment Hollypaw and Lightningstar returned to camp, Hollypaw was hugged in a flying tackle by Honeypaw while Lightningstar was smothered in licks by Frostfur. The other warriors streamed out of their dens, chanting, "Lightningstar! Lightningstar!"

Once Honeypaw finally got off of Hollypaw, Frostfur was already telling Lightningstar, "I don't mean to be pushy, Lightningstar, but you've got to choose a deputy before moonhigh and it's already twilight. I can't believe you spent so long at the Starpool!"

"We had… complications," Lightningstar replied. At this, a stab of pain shot through Hollypaw's heart. Would she ever see Swiftbreeze again? Oakfur and Silverflame had implied that Swiftbreeze would return to WaterClan, but the Frost Forest's attack might have left her too weak to return for a long while. Maybe even so long that Hollypaw would be dead by that time.

Honeypaw murmured anxiously, "Who do you think will be deputy?"

Hollypaw tore her thoughts back to the present and let herself be washed in the pleasant talk. "I don't know… Yellowtail maybe?"

"She's a lion though," Honeypaw pointed out. "I'm not sure Lightningstar would make a lion deputy in a Clan of wolves. I mean, all the Clans are all wolves, except for Sandcub." She smiled indulgently at the little she-lion.

"Good point," Hollypaw said, "and it won't be Riverclaw either, since he was suspicious with Frostfur."

Then another apprentice dashed over. Hollypaw's littermate, Dustpaw, squealed, "Lightningstar chose the new deputy and I know who it is!"

"Who is it?" gasped Honeypaw.

"You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else," Dustpaw replied, eyes glittering.

"That's diabolical!" Hollypaw laughed. The three littermates settled down on the flat rocks with fresh-kill in front of them.

Falconpaw climbed up the rocks with a sparrow in his mouth. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all!" Honeypaw quickly told him in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. She let out a nervous giggle.

Falconpaw turned a bright shade of red. "Um…"

"Do you want to sit here?" Honeypaw asked, turning a fiery shade of crimson. She scooted over so she was hanging off the rock, leaving an enormous space for Falconpaw.

He looked even more uncomfortable. "Uh, thanks, but you don't have to, uh… move over so much."

Hollypaw and Dustpaw burst out in cackles. "Oh, you two like each other," Hollypaw laughed, "just admit it."

Honeypaw slipped off the side of the rock onto the ground below, clearly embarrassed.

"I, uh," Falconpaw stammered, looking at Hollypaw's and Dustpaw's faces, "um…" He jumped off of the rock and fled into the apprentice's den.

Honeypaw climbed back onto the rock. "Where'd he go?"

Her littermates couldn't stop laughing.

 **()()()()**

At a few hours before moonhigh, Lightningstar jumped onto Highrock and called, "Let all wolves old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

"I wonder who the deputy will be," Honeypaw commented to Hollypaw, before noticing the diabolical gleam in her littermate's eye. "What are you planning?" Honeypaw asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Hollypaw said quickly. "Come on, let's sit over here." She steered Honeypaw towards the middle of the crowd of wolves (and two lions).

Falconpaw muttered to Dustpaw, "Why are we going over here?" Dustpaw was steering him towards the center of the wolves.

"There's a better view here," Dustpaw replied vaguely. "Besides, Hollypaw's here."

"She's your littermate, not mine-"

"I'm your friend and she's your medicine wolf. Now shut up and listen to Lightningstar."

The wolves were still getting situated for the first official Clan meeting, so Hollypaw and Dustpaw had plenty of time to execute the plan they'd worked out earlier on the flat rocks.

They sandwiched Falconpaw and Honeypaw together so that they couldn't escape. Falconpaw's littermates helped keep them there; Falconpaw was a very good fighter.

But as he thrashed, he couldn't get out without hurting Honeypaw. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

Hollypaw smiled gleefully. "Falconpaw, this is Honeypaw. You like her."

"Honeypaw, this is Falconpaw. You like him," Dustpaw cackled.

"Now admit it," demanded Hollypaw.

"Same with you, Honeypaw," Dustpaw added.

"I, um…" Honeypaw looked so uncomfortable that Falconpaw announced, "Why?"

" 'Cause everyone's watching," Dawnpaw cackled. Indeed, the whole Clan was watching the apprentice drama instead of Lightningstar.

Falconpaw subtly turned around, and then kicked his captors out with his hind legs.

"We'll get you sometime," Hollypaw giggled like an evil genius, rubbing her front paws together as she flew through the air.

"If all the drama is done," Lightningstar called when the apprentices landed, "it's time for me to announce my choice for deputy."

The Clan waited with bated breath. This would be the point when WaterClan became a real Clan at last, with a leader, deputy, medicine wolf, warriors, queens, and cubs.

Lightningstar puffed out his chest slightly and stepped to the front of the rock. "I say these words before MoonClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice."

The warriors waited eagerly, Falconpaw and Honeypaw's drama forgotten.

"The new deputy of WaterClan is…"

Hollypaw hoped that Swiftbreeze would like Lightningstar's choice of deputy.

"Firefoot."

The camp was silent in surprise for a heartbeat, and all heads turned towards the former IceClan warrior. Then they cheered, "Firefoot! Firefoot!"

"I like Firefoot!" Falconpaw howled in excitement.

"Duh!" Dustpaw laughed. "He was your mentor!"

"Firefoot is a great choice!" Hollypaw commented. "He-"

A sudden howl of pain from Quietrain erupted from the nursery. Hollypaw dashed over and yelled, "The cubs are coming!" Growlthroat raced over to the nursery. Lightningstar looked on.

Lightningstar hurried over to the nursery, but didn't go in. He, of course, was far too terrified to enter (like every male in the Clan).

Growlthroat paced the entrance. His fur rose when he heard a howl of pain from his mate.

Finally, after what seemed like moons, Hollypaw's voice rang out, "The cubs are born!" Growlthroat padded excitedly into the nursery. Lightningstar followed, anxious to see the newest members of his Clan.

Inside, Growlthroat was standing over Quietrain, licking her ears. Two she-wolves and one sturdy male were at her belly. Lightningstar watched as Quietrain murmured, "I think we should name the little male Eaglecub."

Growlthroat nodded and answered, "Good name. I think the she-wolves should be called Lilycub and Duskcub."

Lightningstar whispered, "Congratulations!" Then he ducked through the bramble entrance.

Lightningstar bounded up onto Highrock and howled, "Let all wolves old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting!" All the apprentices and cubs looked up, except for the three newborns. Lightningstar said, "Thunderpaw, Stormpaw, Falconpaw, Dawnpaw, Poppypaw, Dustpaw, and Honeypaw, please come here."

The apprentices all bounded up to the base of Highrock.

"It is time for you all to become warriors."

 _Warriors!_ thought Honeypaw. She couldn't believe it. The goal of "warrior" had seemed so far away until it had actually happened.

"Although you did not have a final assessment," Lightningstar continued, "you all fought valiantly in the IceClan War and that is enough of an assessment for me." He looked to the apprentices' mentors. "Mentors, have your apprentices fulfilled the requirements in the usual final assessments?"

They all nodded.

"Then the apprentices are ready to become full warriors of WaterClan."

Honeypaw thought, _I wonder if Falconpaw will like me more if I have a pretty warrior name._

Lightningstar looked to the bright moon and announced, "I, Lightningstar, leader of WaterClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn."

He looked to the apprentices. "Thunderpaw, Stormpaw, Falconpaw, Dawnpaw, Poppypaw, Dustpaw, and Honeypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

For a second Honeypaw wondered what would happen if she didn't say "I do." It didn't matter, though, since she would. "I do," she vowed.

"I do," echoed Falconpaw.

"I do."

"I do." All the apprentices vowed they would.

"Then by the powers of MoonClan, I give you your warrior names." Lightningstar's voice shook with feeling. "Thunderpaw, you shall be known as Thunderclaw; Stormpaw, you shall be known as Stormstone; Falconpaw, you shall be known as Falconfeather; Dawnpaw, you shall be known as Dawnstripe; Poppypaw, you shall be known as Poppydawn; Dustpaw, you shall be known as Duststorm; and Honeypaw, you shall be known as Honeyfern. MoonClan honors all of your bravery and loyalty, and we welcome you all as full warriors of WaterClan."

They all stepped up to lick Lightningstar's shoulder, and he rested his head on their shoulders.

"Thunderclaw! Stormstone! Falconfeather! Dawnstripe! Poppydawn! Duststorm! Honeyfern! Thunderclaw! Stormstone! Falconfeather! Dawnstripe! Poppydawn! Duststorm! Honeyfern!" the Clan chanted.

 _I bet Falconfeather likes my name_ , Honeyfern thought. _It's very pretty._ She stepped up to Falconfeather and brushed her fur against him, and to her surprise he brushed back.

 **()()()()**

One moon later, as Hollypaw retired to her nest, she was struck with an odd feeling in the dark medicine den. It seemed fuller, somehow. Hollypaw ventured further into the den and smacked into soft fur over hard muscle. Hollypaw's heart inflated. She knew that scent! "Swiftbreeze!" she cried out, overjoyed. She stepped back to let her mentor out of the den.

"Hollypaw," Swiftbreeze murmured, gazing at her apprentice with joy and love.

For heartbeats, the two just stared at each other, enjoying their company. Then simultaneously, they surged forward.

"I missed you so much," Hollypaw sobbed, burying her head into her mentor's soft chest.

"I did too," whispered Swiftbreeze quietly, resting her head on her apprentice's. For a long while, they stood together, until it was past twilight.

They silently stood and walked together into the medicine den, their shared bond between medicine lions and wolves stronger than ever.

Hollypaw began to curl up in her nest, but Swiftbreeze stopped her. "Not right now, Hollypaw." Her eyes shone with happiness. "We're going to the Starpool."

"Right now?" Hollypaw asked, surprised. "What for?"

"It's half-moon," laughed Swiftbreeze, "and it's time to meet with the other medicine wolves." Hollypaw could tell from her eyes that there was something else, but Swiftbreeze was good at hiding her emotions and the usual cool mask she used with the other Clans was slipped on, and Hollypaw couldn't read her.

They trekked up the mountains faster than usual to catch up with the other medicine wolves. However, WaterClan was the closest Clan to the Starpool, as the mountains were just outside their territory. Soon they'd made it to the Starpool, and there was only one medicine wolf who'd gotten there before they had: Dapplepelt, medicine wolf of SnowClan.

"Hello, Dapplepelt," Swiftbreeze greeted smoothly. "Nice to see you looking so well."

Dapplepelt gawked openly at Swiftbreeze for a heartbeat, as she had known that Swiftbreeze was dead. She quickly recovered, however. "Thank you. I see prey has been running well in WaterClan," Dapplepelt returned just as smoothly.

"Yes, it has. I don't know if you have met my apprentice yet. Hollypaw, this is Dapplepelt and Dapplepelt, this is Hollypaw." Hollypaw shyly dipped her head to Dapplepelt.

"Nice to meet you," she said shyly.

"Nice to meet you as well," Dapplepelt returned, smiling at her.

The next medicine wolf to arrive was Willowpaw, also of SnowClan. "Swiftbreeze, Hollypaw, this is my apprentice Willowpaw. She was running late today because of something she had to do."

"Nice to meet you," Hollypaw said shyly.

Willowpaw just smiled, obviously even more shy than Hollypaw.

"I believe none of us have met Hollypaw before," Swiftbreeze said. "It's because we've been traveling to the Starpool in daylight because of IceClan's threat. Luckily, we've defeated IceClan and so it's safe to travel at night now."

The two mentors began talking together, leaving Willowpaw and Hollypaw awkwardly silent. "Um…. Hi, Willowpaw," Hollypaw said awkwardly.

"Hi, Hollypaw," Willowpaw returned even more awkwardly. They lapsed into silence again.

"What's your favorite: deer or 'caow'?" Hollypaw burst out.

Willowpaw looked gratefully at her and said, "Deer, by a mile." Soon the two apprentices were talking normally and enjoying each other's company.

Just then, another medicine wolf arrived: Lilypond of ThornClan, who appeared over the ridge with a ferocious snarl on her face. "Don't expect me to be nice or friendly," she sneered. "I ain't gonna be." She made a rude face at Dapplepelt and then stalked to the other side of the Starpool, where she was hidden in shadow.

"What is her problem?" Willowpaw whispered, aghast.

"I bet she got punished by Claystar for botching her Lightningstar-injury thing," Hollypaw muttered back, "and then confessing it."

Swiftbreeze growled at Lilypond, remembering how badly she'd injured Lightningstar back when they were so weak, they'd had to stay at the Howl Time place.

Gorsepelt arrived soon as well, representing FrostClan.

"Hi, Gorsepelt," Lilypond said conversationally. "Where's your apprentice?"

"Cedarheart had to stay at FrostClan," Gorsepelt replied in a low-pitched, husky tone. He circled to Lilypond's side of the Starpool and didn't talk to anyone.

"Now that we're all here," Dapplepelt called, "I have an announcement to make."

Everyone went quiet to hear her.

"My apprentice Willowpaw is getting her medicine wolf name tonight!"

WaterClan cheered loudly to make up for Gorsepelt's and Lilypond's frosty silence.

Dapplepelt smiled down at her apprentice. "Willowpaw, you've earned this."

"Thank you, Dapplepelt," Willowpaw whispered, looking overwhelmed.

Dapplepelt looked to the bright half-moon and intoned, "I, Dapplepelt, medicine wolf of SnowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine wolf, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons."

As Dapplepelt finished the vows and blessings, Hollypaw thought, _I wonder when my turn will be._

"Willowshine!" Swiftbreeze cheered, knocking Hollypaw out of her trance. Hollypaw cheered the new medicine wolf's name. "Willowshine! Willowshine!"

"Finally we can just get on with it," Lilypond muttered.

"But my apprentice also is ready to become a full medicine wolf," Swiftbreeze replied.

Hollypaw was shocked. "Me?" she squeaked.

"Yes, you," Swiftbreeze smiled gently. Her tone turned serious, and she repeated Dapplepelt's words. "I, Swiftbreeze, medicine lion of WaterClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine wolf, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons.

"Hollypaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine wolf, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all wolves equally, even at the cost of your life?"

Hollypaw's voice nearly shook as she made the vow that would shape the rest of her life, but it came out strong. "I do."

"Then by the powers of MoonClan I give you your true name as a medicine wolf. Hollypaw, from this moment forward you shall be known as Hollyheart. MoonClan honors your loyalty and resourcefulness, and we welcome you as a full medicine wolf of WaterClan."

 _Hollyheart!_ thought Hollyheart giddily. She really liked her new name. Swiftbreeze rested her head on Hollyheart's shoulder, and she licked Swiftbreeze's head.

"Hollyheart! Hollyheart!" cheered SnowClan. Gorsepelt grudgingly joined in, and with a prod from Willowshine, Lilypond grumbled and joined in too. "Hollyheart! Hollyheart!"

Hollyheart and Willowshine got first licks of the Starpool, as was the custom, and they curled up to sleep as full medicine wolves.

* * *

 **A/N: Sigh... Hollyheart is my favorite character, and I'm really glad she got her name...**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**


	26. Chapter 25

**A/N: Last chapter! This one sort of sets up the scene for the sequel. Oh, I'm so excited! Thank you so much for reviewing and reading and favoriting and following! Since this chapter is the (almost) end of our first fanfiction, we're really amazed that we actually got this far! The next chapter is a short epilogue, and then it'll be finished! After the epilogue I guess we'll post a Sequel Alert when we post another story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 25 | Dangerous Dreams**

Hollyheart opened her eyes to the lush MoonClan forest. She was so happy she felt as if she could fly. Finally she'd gotten her name, Swiftbreeze was back too….

Swiftbreeze murmured, "This way, Hollyheart." Hollyheart spun around. Swiftbreeze almost never was in her Starpool dreams. But she followed her mentor anyways to a small clearing in willows overlooking a lazy stream. A gray she-wolf was standing there.

The wolf got up as Hollyheart and Swiftbreeze approached. "Hello, Hollyheart," she greeted. "My name is Raincloud. I was the medicine wolf of WaterClan before FrostClan massacred us."

"Nice to meet you," Hollyheart said.

"Nice to meet you too. Now come, MoonClan wants me to show you something." When Swiftbreeze made as if to follow, Raincloud held up a paw. "I'm sorry, this is for Hollyheart only."

"I understand," Swiftbreeze said, and let Hollyheart and Raincloud through.

Raincloud led Hollyheart through the willows to a small clearing. "Wait," Raincloud smiled.

Soon, MoonClan warriors began to appear: Silverflame, Amberfur, Oakfur, Stormstar, Quailfur.

"Do all new medicine wolves get this?" Hollyheart asked Raincloud.

"Wait and see," Raincloud replied, looking straight forward.

The MoonClan wolves formed a semicircle in front of Hollyheart, leaving a space in the middle where there was a rock. It was silent for two heartbeats until the space above the rock began to shimmer, and there, sitting on the rock, was a wolf. Hollyheart could tell by the way the MoonClan wolves treated her that this wolf was important. She was a light gray she-wolf, not very conspicuous, but Hollyheart knew she should treat the wolf with respect.

The gray wolf spoke first. "Hello, Hollyheart. My name is Water. I am the founder and the first medicine wolf of WaterClan."

Hollyheart felt like she should fall on her face and grovel. She didn't know that WaterClan had been founded by a medicine wolf, but she couldn't believe that the wolf before her actually started WaterClan.

"You know, I don't appear for just any living wolf," Water continued. "In fact, you are the first living wolf I've appeared to. My very existence is a secret to all those living. Even your mentor Swiftbreeze doesn't know me- when she returned to your world, her memory of MoonClan's secrets was erased."

Hollyheart was frozen in shock. What other secrets did MoonClan have?

"Every other wolf believes that WaterClan was started by a wolf named Rocky Cliff," Water continued. "But now you know the secret. Do not tell anyone. If you do, the warriors of MoonClan will come and take you. You will be alive in MoonClan, which by the way is not a very nice existence."

Hollyheart finally found her voice. "But why are you telling me?" Her voice came out squeakily.

"Because I have the rare power to tell the future. This will be important to you later on. You don't know when. It may be when you are a soul in MoonClan. But you will know when the time comes. Tell no one about this."

"I-"

Water was gone.

Hollyheart was confused. She could tell what Water had told her was a big secret, but why would she need that knowledge?

She wandered around. Since she hadn't woken up yet, Hollyheart could tell it wasn't yet dawn. She swam in the stream a little, climbed a birch tree, ventured into the darkest part of the forest and came out unscathed. She'd never thought it possible to be bored in MoonClan, but that's exactly what happened. She sat on a rock by the river, skipping pebbles across the water.

That's when she smelled it: FrostClan. And it wasn't like Silverflame's FrostClan scent; it was the FrostClan scent of a warrior who was alive.

Hollyheart spun, but she was tugged off of and then slammed into the rock she'd been sitting on.

"Thanks to you, IceClan split and my Clan rose up against me," a dark voice spat. "I'll never forgive you for that."

Hollyheart tried to figure out who it was, but she couldn't breathe. Her vision went fuzzy and spots appeared from lack of oxygen.

"Calling out 'half-Clan' at that Howl Time and breaking the reputation I've spent my life building!"

"I didn't mean to, Darkstar," Hollyheart choked out, for she'd finally realized who it was.

 _"Didn't mean to,"_ Darkstar mocked. "You ruined my life, WaterClan."

"You're still leader of a powerful Clan-"

"Ignorance. My own Clan kicked me out. I'm a rogue now, WaterClan, so I'm allowed to make your life horrible." Darkstar smiled. "And I'm going to."

"LET GO OF ME!" Hollyheart screamed, and kicked Darkstar away. She landed in a crouch, waiting for a fight.

It never came. Darkstar walked away, smiling cruelly at her. "Until we meet next, WaterClan. You won't forget me."

Hollyheart breathed heavily. If Darkstar wasn't leader of FrostClan anymore, then who was? She thought hard for Darkstar's deputy. She would probably choose Snakeheart, which meant Snakestar was now leader.

Hollyheart wondered if the secret that Water had told her had anything to do with getting Darkstar off her back. It might, if it sent Darkstar into shock. Maybe Water would forgive her for telling a living wolf if that was the way it was meant to be used.

Another thought struck her. Since Darkstar was a rogue, and there was a different leader of FrostClan, that meant that Darkstar would be Darkfire instead. And she wouldn't keep her nine lives. At least, that's what Hollyheart hoped, but from what Swiftbreeze had told her, Hollyheart suspected that that would be what would happen.

Hollyheart reached for another pebble to skip, her heart rate lowering. Her paw passed right through it. _It's dawn!_ she thought. _I'm going back to the Starpool._

She woke up first out of all the wolves and lion. Hollyheart stretched, yawning. A heartbeat later, Swiftbreeze woke and growled in her ear, "Run! Avalanche!" Hollyheart heard ominous rumbling behind her and her heart raced.

Immediately, Hollyheart was on her feet and dashing for WaterClan territory. She heard her mentor yowling to the medicine wolves, "Wake up! Avalanche!" As far as Hollyheart could tell, they all made it out, but she couldn't see clearly as she raced for a tree.

But the stretch between the mountain and WaterClan territory was plain, no trees. She glanced behind for a split second and glimpsed a roaring mass of snow and rock gaining on her. Hollyheart raced ever harder, spotted a sturdy pine, and shot up the trunk faster than a squirrel. She could see all the other medicine wolves doing the same, except for Lilypond. She struggled to climb, Gorsepelt struggled to help, but somehow she slipped on snow, fell backwards into the roaring avalanche, and missed Gorsepelt's paw. Lilypond gasped and tried to keep her head above the snow, but she wasn't strong enough and disappeared.

Finally the avalanche ceased halfway into WaterClan territory. The medicine wolves hopped from tree to tree, not daring to put a paw down on the unstable snow. As she passed, Hollyheart caught a glimpse of Lilypond sitting up and coughing snow out of her lungs. No one stopped to help.

 **()()()()**

When Hollyheart and Swiftbreeze finally made it back to camp, it was sunhigh and their muscles burned. Swiftbreeze gave an official report of what had happened to Lightningstar while Hollyheart lay on the flat rocks as her littermates plus Falconpaw fussed over her.

Honeyfern brought her fresh-kill while Falconfeather built a soft nest around her. Duststorm scrambled to get her fresh moss soaked with clean water.

Hollyheart began to feel better as Swiftbreeze emerged from Lightningstar's den. Lightningstar jumped down to the flat rocks and shooed the apprentices away. "What happened?" he asked.

"We went to the Starpool. I got my medicine wolf name: Hollyheart. Then I had a dream where I was greeted by MoonClan wolves." Hollyheart was careful to cut out the secret bits. "Then later in the dream, Darkstar was there. She's mad at me for revealing that she's half-Clan at a Howl Time and she says she's a rogue now so she'll make my life miserable. FrostClan kicked her out so now Snakestar's the leader and Darkstar is Darkfire now and has only one life instead of nine."

Lightningstar thought about that, absorbing the information. "I see. Thank you for telling me." He jumped off of the flat rocks.

"Let all wolves and lions old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" he howled. Once everyone was gathered, he announced, "I am so proud of all of you, WaterClan. I couldn't have asked to be leader of a better group of wolves and lions. We started humble, and look at us now! We rival FrostClan in strength! Thank you, all of you. We couldn't have done this without each and every one of you. We have seven new warriors, many cubs in the nursery, two beloved medicine wolf and lion, and we all work together.

"With that being said, we need to expand the warrior's den."

Everyone laughed.

"No, seriously. It's so crowded in there."

"We know, Lightningstar!" called Windrunner good-naturedly. "We sleep in there and you don't!"

Everyone laughed again.

"Whatever," Lightningstar replied, pretending to be grumpy.

"Can you go back to that big inspiration thing?" Honeyfern called. "I liked it better."

Everyone started to laugh, but stopped when they saw the huge mountain lion. Lightningstar whirled around, and snarled menacingly at it. But the lion didn't flee, and another huge one appeared, this one female.

"It's those two mountain lions!" whispered Yellowtail to Swiftbreeze. "Remember a long time ago, back when it was just the three of us? We had to hide in the Cold Cave during leaf-bare. And when we returned to camp, they were here!"

"The male one looks like Sunrise," Swiftbreeze replied.

"Sunrise is nothing like that!" Yellowtail replied, aghast. "Sunrise is a lion, from past the sun-drown-place like us. He escaped from the Regional Zoo. Those are wild savages."

"That's true- AAAA!" Swiftbreeze screamed as the female mountain lion lunged for her, jaws snapping. Lightningstar slashed its nose and the mountain lion turned for the new threat.

Hollyheart whispered, "What do we do?" to Swiftbreeze.

"Medicine den, now," muttered Swiftbreeze back. She followed her apprentice in.

"It feels like we're hiding and putting our Clanmates in danger," Hollyheart whimpered.

"Once the mountain lions go, we'll heal our Clanmates," Swiftbreeze replied, carefully rolling marigold and comfrey and cobweb into a bundle. "Help me make these simple bundles, one for every warrior in the Clan."

Hollyheart began to roll the herbs as well. "But what about the cubs?"

"The queens and warriors will protect them."

Hollyheart kept bundling. "All right."

Lightningstar bunched his muscles and snarled ferociously at the mountain lions. He howled, "WaterClan, attack!" All his warriors lunged for the two mountain lions. Lightningstar leapt at the nearest one, (the she-lion) and dived under her belly. He was about to kick up and send her into the air, when he noticed that her belly was swollen, and she was seemingly tired out. She also seemed extremely affected and a little nauseous from the unfamiliar wolf scent. _She must be expecting cubs,_ he thought. Lightningstar howled, "WaterClan! The she-lion is expecting cubs! Don't harm her, only defend yourself from her!"

Lightningstar leaped back into battle, aiming for the male. However, most of the warriors were already holding it down, and brutally hurting it: its skin was shredded, it was bleeding from multiple cuts, and it was lying on the ground panting, trying not to get hurt. It wasn't even defending itself, let alone hurting the warriors. Lightningstar growled at them, "You are hurting him needlessly. Let him go." His warriors gave one last warning snarl at the mountain lion, and reluctantly let it go. The two mountain lions fled into the forest.

Lightningstar jumped back onto Highrock. "Since that's done, Hollyheart, Swiftbreeze, could you do your 'healing' thing?"

"Of course," Swiftbreeze replied crisply and efficiently patched up a small scratch that Thunderclaw had gotten.

"Anyways," Lightningstar continued, "the Clan meeting isn't over yet! Today, we have a new medicine wolf, seven new warriors- and three new apprentices! Come here, Hawkcub, Mothcub, and Duskcub." The male wolf and the two she-wolves dashed to the Highrock, Ferncloud desperately trying to groom her cubs.

Lightningstar began the ceremony. "Hawkcub, Mothcub, and Duskcub, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Hawkpaw, Mothpaw, and Duskpaw. Your mentors will be Falconfeather, Honeyfern, and Dawnstripe. I hope that they will pass down all they know on to you."

Lightningstar looked down at his audience. "Falconfeather, Honeyfern, and Dawnstripe, come here."

The three warriors walked up to Highrock, looking surprised.

"Falconfeather, Honeyfern, and Dawnstripe, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Firefoot, Hazeltail, and Windrunner, and you have shown yourselves to be excellent hunters and teachers. You will be the mentors of Hawkpaw, Mothpaw, and Duskpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to your new apprentice."

The three warriors touched noses with their apprentices. The Clan burst out into a cheer of "Hawkpaw! Mothpaw! Duskpaw! Hawkpaw! Mothpaw! Duskpaw!"

Lightningstar spotted Yellowtail looking up at him with uncertainty in her expression. He understood at once. Lightningstar raised his voice and said, "It is also time for Sandcub to become an apprentice. Sandcub, please come forward."

Sandcub looked surprised and overjoyed. She excitedly padded forward to her leader. Lightningstar began, "Sandcub, you have reached the age of six moons. From this day forward until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Sandpaw."

Lightningstar turned to Yellowtail. "Yellowtail, you have excellent hunting skills. I hope you will pass on these great qualities to your new apprentice, Sandpaw." Then he howled, "Sandpaw! Sandpaw!" The rest of WaterClan joined in, raising their voices to welcome the new apprentice.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	27. Epilogue

**A/N: This is it! The last part of the story. It's just a short epilogue but after this...** ** _Rebuilding WaterClan_** **is completely finished!**

 **Thank you so much for your support on this story. Again, it's our first fanfic and even though we've only got a few reviews... they mean so much to us. A very big thank-you to Feraa, Blazing Bright Streak of Light, The Tree That Fell Silently, Guest (although we discourage chain letters) and Daughter-of-SataN for reviewing. Also thank-you to those who've favorited this story, or are following it.**

 **We don't own Warriors except for our OCs, which are too numerous to mention. All of them are in Allegiances (which'll be published after this Epilogue) or are mentioned in the story. The important ones are Lightningstar, Swiftbreeze, Yellowtail, Hollyheart, Honeyfern, Falconfeather, Duststorm, Darkfire, and Snowstar.**

 **We hope you have enjoyed this whole story and will enjoy this little Epilogue!**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

One moon later, Lightningstar padded up to Highrock and gazed over the WaterClan. The apprentices were happily sharing battle moves and gossiping. The warriors were in groups talking about their battles and how their apprentices were getting along. He also noticed Songbird sharing fresh-kill with Firefoot, and realized with a start that she was expecting cubs. _New life for the Clan!_

Swiftbreeze bounded up onto the Highrock, with Yellowtail following behind her. The three friends gazed over the camp, and Swiftbreeze whispered, "We've done it, haven't we?"

Yellowtail asked, "We did what?" But in her heart she already knew the answer, had known it long before her friends.

Swiftbreeze replied, "We have cubs in the nursery, apprentices, warriors, and medicine wolf and lion, and a leader."

Lightningstar responded happily, "Yes. We have done it, something I vowed to do long ago."

"We have rebuilt WaterClan."

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N: Wow. It's done. Again, a huge thank-you to all those who have supported this story. We appreciate constructive criticism in the reviews. Also, if you want us to write faster, please give us reviews that show us how we can make our writing better; we're always looking to improve!  
**

 **Thank you for reading this story. It means a lot to us. We hope you've enjoyed the fanfic.**


	28. Allegiances

**A/N: Since we didn't post the Allegiances in the beginning, here they are: the Allegiances as of the beginning of this story (before the FrostClan invasion). We hope this clears some things up!**

* * *

 **Allegiances**

 _ **WaterClan**_

 _Leader_ : Stormstar - blue-eyed male with a bluish-brown pelt

 _Deputy_ : Mudclaw - brown male with brown eyes and a golden pelt

 _Medicine Wolf_ : Raincloud - gray she-wolf with gray fur and a pink nose

 **Warriors: (males and she-wolves without cubs)**

Voletail- Brown male wolf with a short tail

Rosefur- Reddish-furred she-wolf

Deerpelt- Big brown male with a broad head

Ravenfeather - Dark gray male

Acornfur - Light brown she-wolf

Pinepelt- Reddish brown male

Cloudstorm- Small, dark gray male

Nightfoot- Gray male with jet-black paws

Leafheart - Brown she-wolf

Flashfoot- Quick, small brown male

Thistleclaw- Gray wolf, male, with long, spiky claws

Owleyes- Large she-wolf with enormous eyes

Foxtail- Mottled brown male with a reddish tail

Riverfur- Bluish-black she-wolf

Bearclaw- Brown male with thick fur

 **Apprentices: (more than six moons old and in training to become warriors)**

Streampaw - White-and-bluish she-wolf (apprentice to Deerpelt)

Dawnpaw - Dark gray she-wolf (apprentice to Raincloud)

Oakpaw- Dark brown male (apprentice to Acornfur)

Goldpaw- Brown she-wolf with flashing golden eyes (apprentice to Cloudstorm)

Thrushpaw- Light brown male (apprentice to Ravenfeather)

Badgerpaw-Big brown male with white paws (apprentice to Nightfoot)

 **Queens: (she-wolves expecting or nursing cubs)**

Quailfur - dark gray she-wolf with lighter gray tail, mother to Stormstar's kits: Lightningcub and Leafcub

Riverpelt - dappled bluish-brown she-wolf, expecting Thunderclaw's kits

Pondleaf - beautiful dappled gray she-wolf, mother to Pinepelt's kits: Lionkit, Leopardkit, and Tigerkit

 **Elders: (former warriors or queens, now retired)**

Poppypelt - graying she-wolf with blue eyes

Weedfoot - brown male who always gets weeds stuck in his foot

* * *

 _ **FrostClan**_

 _Leader_ : Snowstar - Ruthless white she-wolf with piercing blue eyes and black paws, tail, and tips of ears

 _Deputy_ : Bluepelt - Bluish wolf male with brown eyes and huge claws

 _Medicine Wolf_ : Gorsepelt - Brown tom with spiky, tough fur and extremely pink nose

 **Warriors: (males, and she-wolves without cubs)**

Berrytail - Huge cream-colored male wolf

Petalfang - Vicious brown she-wolf

Darkfire - Completely black she-wolf with blazing amber eyes

Birchheart - Yellow-and-white tom with a long tail

Snakeheart - Cold-hearted she-wolf with black eyes and a black-striped pelt

Brightleaf - Unusually gentle she-wolf with a cream pelt and blue eyes

Ambertail - Pale gray she-wolf with large paws

Firefoot- Black male with orange feet

Mudtail - White male wolf with a brown tail and amber eyes

Waspfeather - Cranky dull brown male wolf with yellow eyes

Goosestripe - Loud brown male wolf with a white stripe down his back

Featherheart - Light, lithe she-wolf

Whiteheart - Reddish male wolf with two white paws and a white tail

Redheart - Reddish-black male wolf with green eyes and a grayish tail

Sunstrike - Bright golden she-wolf with unusually sharp claws and green eyes

Honeyfern - Light brown striped she-wolf

Hazeltail - Solid dark brown she-wolf with light hazel eyes

Thorneye - Gray male wolf who is blind in one eye and has long sharp claws

Dawncloud - Rosy she-wolf with a cloudy gray tail and paws

Mossfire - Fiery reddish-brown she-wolf with a very pink nose

Longfur - White male wolf with long fur

Sootfur- Dark gray male

Songbird - Brown she-wolf with feathery fur

Emberfoot- Gray male with dark orange feet

Grayheart - Light gray male wolf with blue-brown eyes

 **Apprentices: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)**

Cedarpaw - Dark brown she-wolf with brown eyes (apprentice to Gorsepelt, medicine wolf)

Icepaw - White she-wolf with green eyes (apprentice to Brightleaf)

Squirrelpaw - Large brown brown male wolf (apprentice to Snakeheart)

Owlpaw - Ruthless black male wolf with dull green eyes (apprentice to Petalfang)

Bramblepaw - Dark brown male (apprentice to Darkfire)

Ashpaw- Grayish brown she-wolf (apprentice to Sootfur)

Tawnypaw - Tawny she-wolf (apprentice to Cindertail)

Ivypaw - Silver-and-gray she-wolf (apprentice to Honeyfern)

Smokepaw- Dark gray male (apprentice to Emberfoot)

 **Queens: (she-wolves expecting or nursing cubs)**

Poolfur - Creamy yellow she-wolf, expecting Pinenose's cubs

Nettleleaf - Ginger she-wolf, mother of Mudtail's cubs: Foxcub, Mousecub, and Robincub

Swanheart - Beautiful white she-wolf, mother of Berrytail's cubs: Cloudcub and Nutcub

Alderfall - Small, lithe brown she-wolf, expecting Birchheart's cubs

Ferncloud - Pale gray she-wolf with green eyes, mother of Redheart's cubs: Ratcub, Scorchcub, Flowercub, and Blossomcub

 **Elders: (former warriors or queens, now retired)**

There are no elders in FrostClan due to the fact that once a wolf is too old, he is killed.

* * *

 ** _SnowClan_**

 _Leader_ : Cloudstar - Light gray she-wolf with icy blue eyes

 _Deputy_ : Nightcloud - Dark gray she-wolf with amber eyes

 _Medicine Wolf_ : Dapplepelt - Dappled blueish she-wolf with crystal blue eyes

 **Warriors: (males and she-wolves without cubs)**

Skycloud- Light gray male

Stonefur- Gray male with big paws

Crowheart - Crabby black male wolf with a sharp muzzle

Snowbird - Almost gray she-wolf with blue eyes

Morningflower - Dappled gray she-wolf; very pretty

Stonestream - Light gray male wolf with blunt claws; good at swimming

Timberfur- Gray and brown male

 **Apprentices:**

Willowpaw- Beautiful gray she-wolf (apprentice to Dapplepelt, medicine wolf)

Pebblepaw- Gray male (apprentice to Skycloud)

Coalpaw - Dark gray male (apprentice to Crowheart)

 **Queens: (she-wolves expecting or nursing kits)**

Mothwing - Golden brown she-wolf, mother to Skycloud's kit: Ripplecub and Skycub

Dewheart - Light gray wolf, mother to Grayheart's kits: Cloudcub and Frostcub

 **Elders: (former queens and warriors, now retired)**

Grayheart - Gray, loyal male wolf

* * *

 _ **ThornClan**_

 _Leader_ : Claystar - Gray-brown male wolf with an unusually weak connection to MoonClan

 _Deputy_ : Riverclaw - Muddy brown male wolf with amber eyes

 _Medicine Wolf_ : Lilypond - Beautiful dappled silver she-wolf

 **Warriors: (male wolves and she-wolves without cubs)**

Seedclaw- Gray she-wolf with scratchy claws

Swallowtail - Dark brown she-wolf with a short tail

Breezepelt - Light gray male wolf with darker gray muzzle, paws, and tail

Troutfur- Small male with fur resembling a trout

Vinefur- Brown she-wolf with tangled, wiry fur

Spottedleaf - Black and white spotted she-wolf

Echosong- Gentle she-wolf

Sharpclaw- Big gray male with razor-sharp claws

Crookedclaw- Big brown male with a crooked jaw

Windrunner- Small, quick brown she-wolf

Jaggedstripe- Gray male with many stripes

Goldenflower - Pale ginger she-wolf

Clawface - Scarred, mottled brown male wolf

Patchpelt - Small black-and-white male wolf

Dashfoot- Quick black she-wolf

Growlthroat- Extremely deep-voiced male

Lionfur- Light brown male with thick neck fur

Bananaberry - Cream-colored she-wolf with a liking for long, curved, sweet yellow fruit

 **Apprentices: (over six moons old; in training to become warriors)**

Featherpaw- Light gray male (apprentice to Swallowtail)

Cliffpaw- Tall gray male (apprentice to Troutfur)

Figpaw- Bluish black female (apprentice to Spottedleaf)

Sparrowpaw- Black male (apprentice to Sharpclaw)

Rabbitpaw- Big she-wolf with big ears (apprentice to Jaggedstripe)

Runningpaw- Fast female (apprentice to Dashfoot)

 **Queens: (she-wolves expecting or nursing cubs)**

Sorreltail - Brown-and-white striped she-wolf, mother to Breezepelt's cubs: Mousecub and Treecub

Appleclaw - Rosy red-and-white she-wolf, expecting Troutfur's cubs

Shadowfur - Black she-wolf, mother of Jaggedstripe's cubs: Beechcub, Birchcub, Aldercub, and Hollycub

Quietrain- Bluish gray she-wolf, expecting Growlthroat's cubs

* * *

 _ **Lions and Wolves Outside the Clans**_

 **The Regional Zoo: (the zoo right outside the mountains on the outskirts of WaterClan)**

Swiftbreeze - Extremely dark, almost black, gold lion with green eyes; has healing skills

Yellowtail - Brown lion with amber eyes and a yellow tail; has great hunting skills

* * *

 **A/N: If anyone actually read this through and noticed something, please leave a review and if you noticed the right thing, we'll mention you in the Sequel Alert! I myself never actually read these things; they're just for clarification and... a professional look I guess? :D Anyways, we hope that clears some things up!  
**


End file.
